In lieu of an abstract, here is a brief excerpt of the content:

89 CHAPTER 7 Asset Creation By now it is clear that asset preservation and asset creation are closely interlinked. An asset only remains an asset in a suitable context, and an area improved by a design can turn existing elements and structures into real assets. A feature can go unnoticed for a long time, but once made visible and given prominence in a plan, it can become a focal element in a landscape. An asset can also be created by stories; stories help make qualities visible to other people. People like Leopold, Olson, and Whyte made a big difference in this regard; they not only delivered the scientific facts or environmental education, but their writing can help us see and appreciate the world around us. Olson, in The Lonely Land, said: “I sat there a long time and listened to the sounds of the great marsh, the rustle of reeds and grasses, the lap of water, the far calling of loons, and finally must have dozed. When I woke, the moon was high and a path of glittering silver lay across the lake.” It is in these evocations that assets are created, that an appreciation of the landscape and its interconnected elements can be born. Site design needs to be embedded in the landscape; scientific analyses can help in producing a site-specific design, but a sensitive observation of the place and a listening ear for its stories are as important. Economically , as well, it makes sense to appreciate and create uniqueness; cookie-cutter developments are more at risk to lose value. A site-specific design, despite being strongly connected to the locality, can take inspiration from other places. Developments that offer good examples of integrating hydrology or ecology, capitalizing on visual qualities, or of combining uses, whether from other culture or other landscapes, can be valuable influences. ECOLOGICAL RESTORATION In much of North America, people have transformed the landscape. Most of the prairie wetlands have disappeared, and the transition-zone oak prairie has become a rare landscape type. In northern Minnesota, Ontario, Wisconsin, and Michigan, much of the forest is secondary forest, regrowth after extensive logging, with different species of trees and an altered ecology in the understory. Bringing back the old landscape and ecology, with all the vegetation types and the species, is bound to be impossible, exceedingly expensive, or potentially undesirable. People are part of the ecosystem too, and agriculture and habitation have created environments with new ecological and spatial qualities. Aldo Leopold and Sigurd Olson focused their efforts on preserving what was left of the landscape; the magnitude of the natural resource devastations at that time made restoration 90| Development and Redevelopment efforts generally inconceivable. Still, in the course of their careers, they became aware that humans and the rest of nature had to be given their place in each other’s proximity. Context became ever more important for Leopold, and he believed that wise use should depend on the landscape context, as well as the cultural and economic context. Many landscapes could probably not be saved, but in other places, some restoration of ecological quality was possible. Leopold practiced restoration on the grounds around his cabin and developed plans for ecologically enriched agricultural land, an early and modest form of ecological restoration. Olson, too, gradually became more aware of the importance of management and planning for various uses. He did not like the idea of nature restoration and believed it would be near impossible to bring back the full splendor of a forest once logged. Still, he believed that some wounds could heal and that people could help in the healing. Now, after decades of research, we know that some ecosystems and ecotypes can be restored with reasonable effort and within a reasonable time. Certain ecosystems can be restored for ecological reasons, such as the rarity of the ecotype (e.g., calcareous fens) or the rarity of species that could return (e.g., lady’s slippers). They can be restored because they form part of a larger ecosystem, such as a complex of lakes and diverse wetlands within one unspoiled watershed, whose value is primarily associated with the larger scale. Or a restored landscape can serve as a corridor between two patches of important habitat. The decision to bring back certain communities requires a thorough understanding of the landscape. Leopold favored restoring environments over stocking fish or wildlife, as he thought too much effort was wasted in placing animals in environments that were disparate from...

Share