Yourself, the Space, Time, and Ethics…
This is the place in your design where you reign in all those lofty goals and big ideas and begin to wrangle them into a workable plan, through the process of finding, defining, and negotiating the edges and limits of THIS project.
You don’t have to stay in these boundaries forever! But now is the time to define the boundaries, with utmost clarity, for the design project you are creating for this course.
Creating your design requires knowing the boundaries. While it may seem as simple as property lines, given that other entities may have easements or access/restrictions around utilities, you need to know what physical limits your site has, and where your base map literally begins and ends.
A boundary is a place where two entities come together and the style in which they:
1) Interact with each other and
2) Protect their uniqueness
Boundaries establish, negotiate, and communicate relationships. People, ecosystems, countries, and design sites all have boundaries. Whether that’s a picket fence that neighbors chat through or the place where the pond ends and the garden begins, it helps any neighboring entities to have a place where one thing clearly transitions to the next.
Here’s a ridiculously simple video about boundaries:
Boundaries are Edges, and Edges are Opportunities.
Edges are where we see diversity, resilience, and evolution peaking to higher levels than either of the adjacent zones alone. These overlapping areas create an entirely new area. Like an eddy forming near the shore of the creek, you may want to increase the yields and potential of the in-between spaces addressed above.
Un-chosen and uncontrolled boundaries (aka sectors) all present opportunities, at the places where they connect. And every boundary that you establish creates new microclimates and collection point for resources. Make sure to make good use of these edges! Add them to your microclimates map. We’ll use that map a bunch, later.
Boundaries are also filters. A boundary sets the tone. It invites some things in, while discouraging others. Boundaries send a message, and an unclear boundary can easily send a mixed message. Firm boundaries help create more predictable results, and being able to predict results helps us to be confident in our design.
Some examples of unclear boundaries and how to resolve them:
- Unpruned plants over walkways, piles of materials, broken gates and unclear entry areas. If you want your site to be welcoming, make the pathways feel safe and passable.
- If you tell visiting volunteers they can stay as long as they want and help themselves to the fridge, they will! Set clear limitations for visitors and workers to avoid frustration and resentment later.
- Beautiful open gardens with luscious seating areas, signage, and 24-hour access to parking may send the message that you want people in your site at all hours.
- A website with no personal information, coupled with a site behind a big gate with barking dogs will tell people you want to be left alone! If you want to invite others to participate, try opening it up a bit.
These are all just examples. Ultimately you will need to design boundaries that are site-specific, and that meet the needs of the particular place and relationship they are meant to serve. Some edges will yield abundance when opened wide. Others will be better left closed, and still others might need more of an ongoing flexibility.
Your boundaries and limitations will become much more apparent as you develop your sector maps, and as a general rule, if you aren’t sure about a boundary, you should use what you know about the zones and sectors to help you figure it out.
In this video, faculty member Kelda Lorax gives her take on the boundaries process.
Your Observations, Zones, and Sectors are Boundaries too!
Here are some different types of boundaries, to get you started with your own. Look for both permanent and temporary boundaries, boundaries that you want to change, and boundaries you want to create.
You’ll notice echoes of your Observation Sample Questions. Yes, yes! Go back through and refine your observations into clear boundaries that can be drawn on a map. First you observe, then you map and clarify what you’ve seen. Make choices, draw lines, set limits.
Personal boundaries
If you took the Design Your Inner Landscape Course, you already used this worksheet from to work out your personal boundaries. Otherwise, start with these questions:
- What will you say yes to, and what’s a hard no?
- Where are you negotiable?
- What are your physical boundaries? Define the limits of your body.
- Social and emotional boundaries? Define your less-visible investments.
- Financial and material boundaries? How much money? How much stuff?
- Time and energetic boundaries? Pencil out all the details.
- Knowledge, resource and access boundaries? What is holding you back?
Socio-economic boundaries
These may also go on your maps, though some may need to be represented via notes or diagrams.
- How many people will be involved?
- Will your site be open to the public?
- Will there be a spiritual aspect? A creative one?
- Legal restrictions based on the zoning of your site?
- Power, gas, or water lines that you need to steer clear of?
- Places where roads or houses can or should not be located?
- Are there cultural boundaries you need to observe? Or to establish?
- Potential language barrier, cultural conflicts, or communication problems with stakeholders?
- Who’s your market (assuming you’re including closed-loop economics in your design)?
- Will you disallow certain people from the design? If you choose to exclude anyone, make sure this is done intentionally, not by accident! What else can you include?
Ecological boundaries
Use these boundaries to add information to your zone and sector maps:
- Climates and microclimates: what limitations do you have? What’s already there?
- Soil types. Do they vary? How and where?
- Waterways. Mark all sources, sinks, and spaces where they connect.
- Toxicity. What do you know? Look for potential hazards.
- Wildlife corridors, riparian and endangered species buffer zones. Mark their spaces in detail.
- What other ecological boundaries can you find?
Physical boundaries
Outside of yourself now, look at the physical boundaries of the land. Mark these right on the base map you’ll create at the end of this class.
- Property lines (or whichever outside boundaries of the design area you’re using).
- Fences
- Structures
- Roads
- Holes
- Impermeable surface
- Pathways
- Barriers
How do these boundaries change your goals?
How can identifying and mapping your boundaries help you refine your big vision towards a realistic to-do list? Work it out as best you can, then move on to the next section.
Mapping
Cartography, the ancient art of mapmaking, is a complex skill set that you could study for a lifetime. As a landscape designer, it is important you learn how to use a map and compass, that you are able to identify contour, slope, and keypoints, and that you can draw a map that is reasonably to scale. If you are computer savvy, this could be as simple as taking a few measurements and plugging the data in. If you’re working with analog tools and a big pad of paper, you’ll want to use some sort of grid and an erasable pencil.
Making maps of your site provides a visual representation of what is going on, and gives us a place to note new and existing boundaries. You can capture all kinds of information in a visual way that is difficult to describe in words. You can play with ideas (and make mistakes) on paper instead of in real life. Although maps are an invaluable tool, it is important to remember that the map is not the terrain. It’s always important to double-check what you see on your map with the actual site, before making any big decisions.
So far you’ve done some rough-draft maps; now it’s time to pull them into scale.
Base Mapping
If you haven’t already, it’s time to get serious about this step. Refer back to the beginning of the Home System class as needed.
Homework for this phase of your design project
Remember: Design Studio homework is mandatory, topical module homework is optional.
Level up your computer skills.
If you haven’t already, head over to our Digital Toolshed and do some exploring. Will you be using digital tools to map and render your design project? Why or why not?
Before you move on in the course, set aside some time to scramble up a learning curve or two, and see if digital tools might help. You could find, as many students do, that once you learn the basics, it opens up a whole new world of ideas. So, if you’ve been resisting this part of the learning, your homework right now is to jump in…at least get your feet wet!
Now…if you seriously do NOT want to do your design using digital tools, that is totally fine! You can hand draw your maps and take photos and just insert those into the Design Template. No big deal–you do what works for you, but if you want to challenge yourself to get digital, we are here to help.
Feedback
Boundaries assessment and mapping is all about feedback. You collect feedback from the land, from neighbors, from the natural elements, from non-human inhabitants, and more. You collect feedback from yourself and your own observations.
Your feedback assignment for this step is to tune in deeply to the less-obvious feedback that, when seen and heard, gives you information about your boundaries.
Deliverables
Map all of your boundaries, in detail:
- Base Map, to scale. Take the drafts you’ve been working on and tighten up the details.
- Sectors Overview Map. Sectors are boundaries. Create a visualization that shows all of the interconnected, uncontrolled influences on your site.
- Personal boundaries and limitations. Write these out in a clear and concise way.