Smart Urban Landscapes: Residential Landscape Design Templates and Guidelines

California Urban Water Conservation Council

DC&E is preparing Residential Landscape Design Templates and Guidelines for the California Urban Water Conservation Council that will promote technologies and design principles for new residential construction that minimize fertilizer and pesticide use, reduce pollutant runoff from urban landscapes, and save water. DC&E is coordinating with a Project Advisory Committee to develop landscape design guidelines based on Smart from the Start principles and incorporating irrigation equipment, management, maintenance and design recommendations from the AB 2717 Landscape Task Force and green building principles. Working with a developer, DC&E will develop three to five smart landscape design templates for use with model homes. DC&E will also develop homebuyer marketing materials and design options to educate consumers on the benefits of the design templates. Finally, DC&E will assist the Council with creating a measurable and readily adoptable scoring document to further the success of the program by addressing scalability and institutionalization. The Smart Urban Landscapes project will create an umbrella branding for new residential development at the state level, working with existing regional water conservation programs to more closely address local issues and policies.