Community Planning from the Kingdom of God's perspective-Part 3

Sustainable Land Use practices 

 

 

Once we have resolved any spiritual “leans,” we turn to the land to examine Gods foundational deposits. Sustainable land use practices work hand in hand with our scriptural call to stewardship. By mapping the geographic and biological processes active in a specific region, we allow the site to be both designer and planner. God placed resources foundational to site. By studying the underlying approaches God used during creation, we may discover his “finger print.” When we work with Gods order, we allow the literal resources in the land to create a symbiotic relationship. We partner with the land in living with a site not just on it. 

This “master plan” can derive functionality from these mapping processes. Some of the natural determinates include: soil types, solar orientation, slope, vegetation types, wildlife habitat, and water resources. Those “overlays” derived through GIS mapping help the designer arrive at environmentally friendly solutions on behalf of the end user.

Three color tones are assigned each evaluation. White being the highest potential, gray being the average, and black being the least desirable. The team established the best combination of land use thru the use of a matrix. By overlaying all of the maps based on our matrix hierarchy, the design team can readily see the best use for each location by what appears the “clearest” on the plan. Conversely, the darkest portion of the plan indicates incompatibly to any proposed land use. The following case study is from the Borough of Richmond, New York, compiled by Ian L. McHarg.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 





In this example, the area that appears clear or white is the best suited for this particular application.  Areas that are black or dark are least suitable.  Thru matrix analysis we establish the best location for each planned activity based on what God placed within the land.