Low Impact Urban Design and Development (LIUDD): matching urban design and urban ecology

Abstract

This paper outlines the roles that ecological concepts and the practice of landscape design have in achieving sustainable and healthy cities of the future. This approach is embodied in the Low Impact Urban Design and Development (LIUDD) movement. We describe studio exercises conducted for the students at Lincoln University in the Landscape Architecture Group to illustrate the evolution of thinking and implementation of LIUDD principles in some complementary case studies from Christchurch City and Lincoln Village. We review the theory, experience and justification for integrating biodiversity into urban environments.