Understanding External Forces
Sectors are a directional tool for working with and making thoughtful use of external forces that affect a landscape. A tool to make connections with the intentions of the Land Steward, the social and ecological forces in our landscape. It helps us identify microbiomes and to work with and forecast potential remediation challenges.
Sector Notation
(Moving Clockwise around the map)
- The Good Neighbor Sector: Positive social interactions. Upon moving into this neighborhood, our Land Steward was greeted warmly by the neighbors in this sector. Design to encourage further interaction and exchange.
Added annotations: social contact area, potential direction, and snow removal area.
- The Good Citizen Sector: The “Front Lawn,” in our social pattern, is our landscape’s “Face to the World.” It is about communicating our values to the surrounding inhabitants, passersby, delivery personnel, and City Councils. All forces are beyond our control. To satisfy our needs, the needs of our land, the needs of service providers (safety and accessibility), and communicate with the community, we use visual elements familiar to these stakeholders. While encouraging change in lawn culture patterns.
- Busy Neigbor Sector: This sector is influenced by an unknown force. The busy neighbor who seems to desire privacy. Rather than enforce that seclusion by defining a propertyline with plants and hardscape. Our goal is to create a pleasing view as he moves about. Encouraging positive social interactions in the future.
- Summer and Winter Sun Path: Marking the sun’s movement across the landscape provides a clear indication of structure placement and appropriate plant guilds. Optimising our chances to take advantage of, and protecting ourselves from solar forces.
- Prevailing Wind and Weather Patterns: Considering the areas’ most common wind directions and potential sources of inclement weather, we can design effective protection against these forces and harness them.
- Privacy Sector: Here, we aim to create a natural break in the lines and construction densities of human habitation, visually and socially. By creating a “Green” barrier. An edible hedgerow planting modeled after the forest edge biome that will give us privacy, provide for wildlife, and ourselves.
Of note, there is a Utility Easement running between homes in this block. Creating access for the utility company, which is also likely an animal corridor, and potential future disturbances from utility work, animal visitation, and human foot traffic.
Added Notations: Utility Easement, Utility In, Internet Cables, and Access. As well as visual representations for “Roofline Views,” we aim to hide from our view in our most-used spaces in the landscape.
