The architect's view looks lovely, but what will it look like from down the block? In some cities, neighbors can see a computer-generated, three-dimensional image that shows what a building looks like and how it will fit into the neighborhood. A recent Santa Rosa ordinance requires three-dimensional renderings on projects that will have a visual impact, such as those which are on the border between commercial and residential zones, or at city gateways. Developers have found that the renderings give residents and planners a better impression of proposed projects and often help in getting project approval.
The next step? Three-dimensional animations, which take viewers over and around the proposed project. Although the technology for the renderings and animation is far less expensive than it used to be, animation is still used primarily for expensive projects or those in very sensitive locations, such as a proposal for development at Moffett Field. Like renderings, however, both developers and planners credit animations with pinpointing potential problems in the early design stages when fixes are easier to make, preventing costly mistakes or unsightly results which will last for decades.
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The quintessential suburban lawn is being reconsidered— not only by owners tired of upkeep chores, but also by water districts and others concerned about the resources which go into large expanses of close-cropped grass. Particularly in arid climates, such as Glendale, Arizona, and Denver, water districts have encouraged homeowners to covert to less water- hungry landscaping with rebates, ordinances and other incentives. A federal study showed that Las Vegas could save 40 percent of its water use by eliminating lawns.
Alternatives to lawns include rock gardens, vegetable gardens, and native plants such as succulents, buffalo grass and live oak appropriate to various parts of the country. In addition to reducing the need for new irrigation systems and new sources of water, shrinking lawn acreage also reduces the water quality impacts from chemical herbicides and fertilizers, the air quality impacts of gasoline-powered mowers, and energy use for treating and pumping water used for lawn watering.
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