PRINCIPLE 2
Integrate Nature
We prioritize conserving sensitive habitats and natural vistas within and around a community, as well as integrating natural areas throughout a community’s open space network.
Natural systems, green spaces, and diverse landscape experiences help at a broad level with:
- Promoting physical health and psychological well-being at community scale through biophilia (humans’ innate tendency to seek connections with nature).
- Potential for increased physical activity through walking paths and recreational trails.
- Maintaining and cleansing the environment.
PRINCIPLE 2
Integrate Nature
We prioritize conserving sensitive habitats and natural vistas within and around a community, as well as integrating natural areas throughout a community’s open space network.
Natural systems, green spaces, and diverse landscape experiences help at a broad level with:
- Promoting physical health and psychological well-being at community scale through biophilia (humans’ innate tendency to seek connections with nature).
- Potential for increased physical activity through walking paths and recreational trails.
- Maintaining and cleansing the environment.
Santa Lucia Preserve
Carmel Valley, California
Rooted in the principles of biophilia, the planning and design of the Santa Lucia Preserve celebrate the site’s natural beauty, vastness and richness of its landscape through environmental stewardship and conservation. The first large-scale preservation community in the United States, the Preserve protects more than 90% of the 20,000-acre landholding through permanent conservation easements.