permaculture

[Scott Pittman <pci@permaculture-inst.org>]

Please rate on a scale of 1 to 5 the appropriate answer unless stated otherwise.. 1 being the lowest grade and 5 the highest grade you may give. If you do not know an ansear please write " Do Not Know"

A: LANDSCAPE ARCHITECTURE AND PERMACULTURE:

1. Is any member of your practice registered as a member of a permaculture organisation? Please delete all the inappropriate answears.
     Yes     
Comments:…………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………

2. As landscape architect practice, where have you come across the permaculture concept?

Other. Please, specify.

My interest in landscape architecture started after I took a PC Design course and became a certified pc practitioner. The formal education is rather a tool for me to be able to practice permaculture at the larger scale and hopefully contribute to the positive change.

3. In your general opinion, do you recognise that landscape architects are applying permaculture concepts under another names such as regenerative studies, sustainable projects and so on?
Answer

Yes, I do. And, at large I don';t think it is very important how you call it, as long as it is truly regenerative or sustainable, or permanent, or common sense. The problem is that all the above mentioned words have gained a lot of sex appeal and are being used to suit clients desire to be a "good" person, and not necessarily providing regenerative, sustainable or permanent solutions. For my work I am more interested in actual outcome, than in calling it permaculture per se. 

4. Does your practice think that permaculture could be suited to?
      Landscape architecture   (5)
Agriculture                       (5)   
Urban Design                      (5) needs more research and work      
Architecture                      (5)   
Others. Please, specify - civil engineering ( drainage issues, highway design and siting)

All the above mentioned. In last years we designed a large organic medicinal herb farm (rotation crops, fertility strategies, biodynamic compost operation, about 15 acres in wildlife habitats/ wetlands, cotton wood forest restoration, etc), grassland restoration and erosion control in overgrazed desert of NM, designed and built 5 underground passive solar houses. Amazing thing in landscape architecture is that it allows all these designs to happen under its roof, the same way as permaculture does.

5. What would be needed for a landscape architecture practices to become more aware of the benefits of planning and practices using permaculture concept?
More education          5
Stricter legislation            5
More government commitment                      0 (what is that?)
More public and client awareness                don't know
Efficient implementation                5
Others.  Please specify

I don't know. More education certainly helped here in Santa Fe, NM where there are about 4000 pc graduates and uncounted students of various pc workshops in a city of 80 000. Efficient implementation would not hurt either, as in Santa Fe there are several pretty shameful projects that either cost too much and did not produce anything, or that cost too much and produced a belief that pc is for the rich guys only.

B: PERMACULTURE

6. A permaculture approach within the landscape could provide a range of benefits.  How important does your practice believe each benefit to be?

Ecological/ environmental benefits:
.  Increase wildlife value      5
.  Supply basic agriculture needs       5
.  Increase biodiversity                5
.  Increase environmental quality       5
.  Enhance microclimate 5
.  Others.  Please specify:     5
Comments:… You use a traditional method of research, when a subject is divided in components, and each one is studied or evaluated separatly. Majority of the above mentioned benefits are interwoven, and do not need to be listed separatly. Microclimate and environmental qulaity go hand in hand, so does the diversity with env. quality and wildlife habitat. 

> Economic benefits:
> .  Improve image of the locality
> .  Encourage private sector investment
> .  Others.  Please specify:
> Comments:
I don't know if the landscape architecture use of
pc will actually provide these benefits. The befits that I see could be
such as: 
- absence of erosion (soil, fertility, nutrient leach)
- no need for imported inputs
- etc

The general use of pc will certainly improve image of locality,
especially if  local credit unions, buyers clubs are created.

Social benefits:
.  Provide satisfying living/ working area      5
.  Provide educational resource         5
.  Provide good survey/ analysis        ?
.  Promote physical healthiness ? The first Forest garden was created for a handicapped person in GB. What do you mean?
.  Promote good mental health           ?
.  Encourage local participation/ Maintenance   questionable
.  Others.  Please specify

Aesthetic benefits:
.  Provide an innovative design 5
.  Give a greater creativity    5
.  Provide a natural beauty     5
.  Relate function to aesthetic 5
.  Others.  Please specify

In general pc relies too much on "natural beauty", and
disrespects built environment ( at least in my experience), or aesthetic
considerations. I was told that "Beauty is not a function". I
don't know if many pc designers think of shape/ size/ color balance when
designing say a community garden. It just must be pretty because of the
use of natural material - plants.  Is it always? Maybe that is what
makes some professionals to avoid permaculture - the funky appearance of
many sites?

7. Which of the following should pay for a permaculture approach to be used within the landscape projects?
Supra National bodies (e.g. European Union)             
National Government                     can only srew the thing
State/ regional authorities     
Local authorities                       5
Other Public bodies                     5
Private business sector
Specialist Groups (e.g. Groundwork trust)               5
Local amenity Group
Local residents ( Residents association)                5
General public via taxation
Others.  Please, specify

C: CONSTRAINTS:

8. In your practice experience, by how much do the following constraints restrict the establishment of permaculture projects?
Financial (e.g. too expensive to be installed)          0
Impractical (e.g. requires too much labour attention)   0
Lack of knowledge                                       0
Lack of guidance                                        5
Inappropriate locality                                  0
Traditional method                                      0
Others.  Please, specify
Comments: the pc sites do need maintanance and love. The responsibility of a pc designer  that is often too hard to bear is to educate your client, or  stay near the project untill it is stable and mature. The last element makes the costs prohibitive, when first is met with resintance by many clients. They just want a pretty landscape after all, and preferably with no erosion. Working on it for 7 years - no thanks.  So people find different ways of solving this problem, but neither is simple or time efficient.

9. By how much will landscape projects containing a permaculture approach create negative effects?
Reduces profitability of land           0  ( how is that possible?)
Increases maintenance cost      -       2     (only initially, but returns over time.)
Creates spaces vulnerable to crime      ? ( every public space is vulnerable for that matter)
Reduces building/ indoor activity       0
Increase demand for more land   0
Others.  Please, specify
Comments:………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………

10. Which of the following groups in your practice opinion are more likely to be opposed to landscape permacultural projects?
Local residents                 0 (unless uniformed)
Local Business people           0
General public                  0
Land owners                             0
Developers/ Builders                    5 (unless can get points out of it)
Local authorities                       3 (dislike innovative ideas, as it makes them have to think, example: straw bale houses)
National governments                    5 (oppose anything good)                
Specialist Groups/ organisations        3
Others.  Please, specify        civil engineers

Could you please, refer me to any other useful contacts I could interview or e-mail?
Yes     No      If yes, please, specify e-mail and phone number…… <gilnel@earthlink.net>, Ann Nelson, LA