Criteria for Sustainable Planting Design Applications in Landscape Architecture Projects Under Arid Conditions

Abstract

Abstract-Planting design is an important part of all LandscapeArchitecture projects (LAps). It needs new criteria in order to makeit more sustainable. When arid conditions are dominant, thesecriteria will be more difficult. These limiting factors of harshenvironment and aridity, such as high temperature and evaporation,low rainfall, poor and sandy soil, are largely diverse in many levelsconcerning water, soil, and climate. Thus they clearly appear indesigning and impeding sustainable LAps. The planting design inLAps is governed by three major factors which are: plant species,water availability, and the control soil property and climateconditions. However, the designer can adjust and customize thesedesigns aiming at satisfying sustainability principles by carefullyselecting plant materials from native or exotic plants and dealingwith new practices effectively within the landscape, such asmanaging water supplies, irrigation methods, plant waterrequirement (PWR), modifying soil properties to be more efficient,appropriate to hold water, and developing the planting designtechniques to restrain aridity conditions. This study adopted fieldand environmental analyses of real projects to reach new criteriafor planting design in LAps that are able, by increasing thefunctional and environmental compatibility to achieve sustainabilityunder aridity conditions.