58
Landscape Led Design
be constructed to co-exist with water (but not be too wet, obviously) and the planting will be adjusted accordingly. Each home will have its own 5,000-liter rainwater buffer. However, Essenvelt turned out not to be the best place for a Landscape Led Design. A great deal had already been decided on. Is that a shame? Landscape Led Design is embraced “Yes and no,” says Kole. “Yes, because we didn’t think about this from the very beginning, and no, actually it’s not that bad. In all subsequent plans, we are now looking at the underlying landscape, the soil and the subsoil. You see that there is now a high level of awareness within the organisation, the ideas have been embraced. We are working on plans to store rainwater in the creek ridge in another neighbourhood, Sint Laurens. The Environment Plan, which sets the course for the long term, is based on reducing paved surfaces and increasing the amount of green space in order to prevent drought and flooding. There are probably things that we’ll say later we could have done better, but that too is Landscape Led Design.”
