Design Considerations Checklist

Bullet Introduction
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Bullet Parking
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Bullet Public Open Space
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Bullet Private Open Space
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Bullet Landscaping
-Landscaping is not a Secondary Consideration
-Plantings
-Appropriate Plantings
-Paved Areas
-Edges
-Outdoor Seating
-Paths
-Storage

Bullet Building Location
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Bullet Building Shape
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Bullet Building Appearance
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Bullet Building Layout
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Bullet Unit Layout
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Gallery of High Quality Affordable Housing

Landscaping is not a Secondary Consideration

Good landscaping is critical to the quality of any project. Consider how landscaping and planting will be handled from the very beginning of the design process. Avoid considering landscaping as an "extra" that can be added in at the end of the project or, worse, eliminated in the name of cost control.

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Good landscaping was critical in this project where planting, play areas and small courts help tie together multiple individual buildings across a steeply sloping site.
(Parkview Commons)

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Carefully designed plants and landscaping help soften the impact of the large building surrounding this courtyard.
(201 Turk and 111 Jones)
Multiple forms of landscaping make this Los Angeles courtyard an interesting and attractive "outdoor room." Note how the plantings have created arches over the entrances to each unit.
(Willowbrook Green Apartments)

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The sunny courtyard and the landscaping for this Santa Monica, California project creates a small private garden for residents.
(Ocean Park Co-op)
The landscape design for this Greenburgh, New York project allows surrounding woods to enclose the project's buildings which, in turn, enclose a simple, open grassy area at the center.
(West HELP)

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The formal, clearly defined landscaping for this Boston project is appropriate for its urban setting, providing a central court, open to the public during the day, surrounded by private patios.
(Langham Court)