Natural Resource Conservation Design

Course Summary:

This course has been funded in large part by Chicago Wilderness in keeping with its goal of involving local governments in the processes of restoring and maintaining regional biodiversity. The course is written for use by local governments interested in modifying local comprehensive plans, zoning and subdivision ordinances, and other ordinances to accommodate the principles and practices of conservation design. In many cases, communities are committed to enhancing local residents’ quality of life through natural resource conservation. However, outdated plans and ordinances may work in opposition to these conservation goals. In this course, four principles and 13 practices for conservation design are identified and discussed. For each of the 13 practices, model ordinance language is offered. Local governments can adapt this language to update their own local ordinances. Local governments, communities, developers, and homeowners all can contribute to the protection of biodiversity by observing the four principles identified here:

• Develop Flexible Lot Design Standards
• Protect and Create Natural Landscape and Drainage Systems
• Reduce Impervious Surface Areas
• Implement Sustainable Storm water Management Techniques

The goal of this course is to provide ample information about conservation design principles and practices, and to provide the necessary language to enable communities to implement conservation design at varying levels. The course is structured by practice, so that communities new to conservation design can begin with cautious modifications, while more experienced communities can more fully implement the ordinance revisions, which ultimately will lead to more comprehensive change. Communities that choose to implement conservation design will see a variety of benefits, including reduced flooding, improved water quality, enhanced biodiversity, higher property values, higher property tax revenues, and greater community cohesion.

Learning Objective:

• Introduction
• Economic Benefits of Conservation Design
• Principles and Practices for Conservation Design

Review the quiz before studying the course.

Course Content

Course Author: Northeastern Illinois Planning Commission