by Emily McCoy, PLA, FASLA, SITES AP
Tools and Resources for the Landscape Architect
Missing Metrics: The Case for Sharing Successes and Failures
Within our cities, rural areas and everything in between, there are canvases of spaces, small and large, that have unmet potential to embed resiliency, biodiversity, ecosystem services, cultural relevance and delight in our communities. On large-scale ecological restoration and urban design projects, however, the barriers to executing a project that achieves these multiple sustainability goals at once are often overwhelming, and tough to endure as an advocate and designer, especially on multi-year, high-profile projects.
Empowered with the right tools and data, these challenges can be overcome on any project if one can find and have access to lessons learned from others to set the project up for success. Unfortunately, there are not a lot of centralized places to share or find these lessons learned. For example, on a restoration project to convert a golf course to long leaf pine savanna, very few projects were found and of those found, none of them had specific information about restoration techniques or strategies that were replicable.
Luckily organizations are helping fill this gap. For instance the Landscape Architecture Foundation funds, collects and distributes thoughtful and rigorous information of lessons learned about landscape architecture projects, authored by academics and practitioners working together to create Case Study Investigations. However, more can be done to encourage more participation in the knowledge sharing, including details on construction methodologies, planting trials, and making sure successes and failures are assessed through a research lens.
All too often, land managers and maintenance staff may not have the time or resources to assess the underlying issues of a planting or restoration failure and this can lead to misconceptions about the species selected, for example, or promote general negative perceptions about the use of native plants or certain restoration practices. For instance, underlying soil issues or an inconspicuous pest could be the driver of a planting failure, but without careful evaluation, the true story may remain unknown.
For this very reason, many organizations, academics and professionals have focused on making evaluation tools and methods accessible to broader audiences to assess landscape performance in the field with low cost tools to encourage best practices for landscape evaluation so we all can feel confident of the results for use in our work. Examples of these publications include the Landscape Architecture Foundation’s, Landscape Performance Guidebook, and the American Society of Landscape Architect’s, A Landscape Performance + Metrics Primer for Landscape Architects: Measuring Landscape Performance on the Ground.
Students in McCoy’s Landscape Performance and Metrics course at NC State University learn how to test infiltration rates of soil in rain gardens with a double ring infiltrometer. Credit: Emily McCoy
Lessons Learned from Practice at Design Workshop
Since its founding in 1969 by professors at NC State University, Design Workshop has grounded its practice in evidence-based design, a commitment that continues today through our Legacy Design process. Central to this approach is our investment in Impact Assessments—the ongoing effort to gather data from built projects and apply lessons learned to current and future work. From transforming a golf course into native habitat on a coastal barrier island in Georgia to creating a mini-bayou stormwater system in the heart of Houston, we work across all kinds of places and scales to bring native landscapes and the services they provide into the spotlight. What follows is a summary of key insights from some of our most ambitious efforts to make space for native habitat in urban and naturalized environments alike.
‘Design with nature’
Work with the site and ecological context you have, not against it. Propose habitat types based on topography, hydrology, and future climate projections to ensure long-term resilience. Use soil samples, historic records, climate models, reference ecosystems near and similar to your site and tools, like GIS or maps, to understand the nuances of your site. Propose native habitats that work with your existing conditions, rather than importing materials or relying on regular inputs like fertilizers or soil amendments. For example, grassland systems do not need a rich soil and often decline if the soil is too high in organic matter. Work with what you have. There are native analogues for any condition, manmade or natural occurring, even green roofs.
Below are some helpful resources to find existing and future conditions of your site and reference native plant communities based on the conditions and location of your site.
- EPA Ecoregions: The EPA has maps to help you find what ecoregion your project may be in. Level IV is the most detailed ecoregion, whereas Level I is the most broad. ESRI has a map viewer of this data for ease of use Level IV Ecoregions of the Continental United States | ArcGIS Hub
- NatureServe Explorer: NatureServe is a central database of species and ecosystems in the US and Canada and beyond and is an excellent resource that is updated regularly. Ecosystems utilize the International Vegetation Classification and NatureServe Terrestrial Ecological Systems Classification to categorize ecosystems down to the Group level, the most detailed level of classification. Information included for each vegetation group includes maps, conservation status, description, characteristics, distribution, and environmental characteristics.
- VegBank: VegBank is the Ecological Society of America’s database for plant communities field data collected by scientists across the United States.
- State Natural Heritage Programs: State natural heritage programs offer specific data about the species and habitats in any given state and are great resources similar to NatureServe.
- The Biota of North America Program (BONAP): Provides down to the county-level information about species and their native ranges.
- USDA Plants Data Base: The USDA provides a wealth of information about plant species, including distribution, physiology, morphology, growth requirements, reproduction, and use data.
- Climate Central: This website offers an array of tools, including future predictions in changes to climate and flooding.
- LANDFIRE: LANDFIRE is a tool and collection of data by the US Department of Agriculture and US Department of the Interior for landscape fire and resource management. Although focused on wildfire management, the vegetation data for plant communities in any given location can be helpful to assess the existing or potential land cover given the biophysical characteristics of the site.
- Various websites: Like the USGS below. The USGS is a wealth of mapping data from topography to tree heights and land cover.
Ecological and human systems analysis shapes restoration strategies, addressing sea-level rise, marsh migration, and saltwater intrusion. Credit: Design Workshop, Inc.
The designers mapped areas of greatest tree mortality after a hurricane and a record drought event and discovered alignment with historic grassland systems. Instead of replanting trees, they restored prairie, savanna, and woodland ecosystems—landscapes inherently resilient to drought, flood, and future disturbances. Credit: Brandon Huttenlocher/Design Workshop, Inc.
Soil
Soil is the foundation for all life. To understand your existing soil conditions, consult a soil scientist, submit a lab report to your local soil lab and/ or review USDA’s soil survey mapper. Understanding soil’s physical, biological and chemical properties will help you work with your existing conditions and choose plant communities and species that work with your existing conditions.
Collaboration is the magic sauce
Use collaborative planning to navigate complexity. Activities like workshops with scientists, regulators, and local experts to address challenges like native plant availability, tree removal regulations, future climate scenarios, habitat needs and public perception can yield creative and effective solutions. This process ensures broad buy-in and practical solutions.
Wildlife conservation experts were engaged throughout the process to identify target species, and habitat strategies to support at-risk and critical species to the integrity of the ecosystem. Credit: Design Workshop, Inc.
Tinker first
Pilot projects before scaling up can be used to test soil prep, seeding, and establishment methods. This can serve both as technical trials and as educational tools to explain the restoration strategy to city officials and the public. It also helps mitigate risk of the investment being made on the project and can offer proof of concept to potential funders or grantors.
Restoration pilots are being used to test soil prep, seeding, and establishment methods. These served both as technical trials and as educational tools to explain the restoration strategy to city officials and the public. Credit: Design Workshop, Inc.
Land management, not maintenance
Rather than prescriptive and routine maintenance business-as-usual practices, adaptive management is a strategic, science-based approach to land stewardship that treats management as an ongoing learning process. It uses monitoring, feedback, and adjustment to respond to ecological, social, or economic changes. Key to adaptive management is setting measurable goals to define success and strategies to achieve success if goals are not being met as anticipated. This monitoring and management feedback loop also yields incredible results that can be shared with others, good and bad. Adaptive management plans should be a part of the planning and design process to ensure success.
Longleaf pine habitats are restored to their historic range, reintroducing fire-adapted species and fostering biodiversity and storm resilience. The adaptive management plan reintroduces controlled burns every 2-3 years, mimicking nature cycles historically driven by lightning and Indigenous practices. Adaptive management metrics and goals, like trees per acre, natural regeneration rates, soil pH and duff accumulation set clear goals and action plans if the trajectory of the landscape is not heading towards the goals and offer strategies to get back on track. Credit: Design Workshop, Inc.
Reclaim underutilized land with purpose
Landscapes that require high inputs like regular mowing and fertilizer, but offer limited use or are infrequent, especially on valuable urban land or popular destinations, are not functioning to their highest and best use. Case studies and data on actual use can show how development and green space can coexist if these spaces are reimagined and restored for multiple benefits. Incorporating water infrastructure with ecological design often helps “sell” restoration if other goals can be met beyond biodiversity goals, such as management of stormwater and lessening nuisance flooding.
The site, once an abandoned lawn, was transformed into a six-acre public park featuring restored native landscapes and innovative stormwater systems—all while incorporating a 400-car underground parking garage. This reuse of valuable urban land shows how development and green space can coexist.
Inspired by Houston’s bayou ecology, the design features a constructed stream channel (“Midtown Bayou”), rain gardens, and bioswales planted with native species. These systems detain stormwater, improve water quality, and provide habitat for birds, amphibians, and pollinators—while functioning as aesthetic and educational elements. Credit: Brandon Huttenlocher/Design Workshop, Inc.
Use public art and elements of fun to connect people to place
Public art can make ecological processes, green infrastructure and their benefits legible, compelling and exciting, encouraging stewardship and community pride. Public art not only engages, it helps reflect the unique identity of the community it serves and can often be a platform for underrepresented groups to express their values and connections with nature.
The park’s dynamic art installations, native planting, mosaic mural and interactive “Rain Fountain” educate visitors about Houston’s climate, culture, and ecology. These features make green infrastructure legible, encouraging stewardship and community pride. Credit: Brandon Huttenlocher/Design Workshop, Inc.
Plant procurement as soon as possible
Native plants are still not produced in large quantities in the horticulture industry. Purchasing local ecotypes and genotypes of native plants for any project, even seed, continues to be one of the largest barriers to restoration projects. Don’t wait to think about plant procurement until design is complete. Leave enough time to reach out to nurseries and seed suppliers to ask about inventory or about potentially contract growing. In many cases if you have the luxury of time, growing your own or partnering with an organization to grow specific plants can be your best bet.
Design for human and non-human’s future
Climate change is happening at an accelerating pace, and not all plants and animals can migrate to keep up with their ideal habitat conditions as the climate changes. Changes in weather patterns may necessitate design of redundant systems in order to embed resiliency for safety or require creative infrastructure to accommodate fluctuations in precipitation, including storage and water reuse systems during drought.
Prioritize creating refuges, connective corridors and habitat features for at-risk species, or other species that rely on at-risk species. Use publicly available climate models, expert advice and data about habitat systems that are migrating to your project area to assist with their migration and habitat requirements.
The design integrates wildlife and human needs, enhancing habitats and minimizing conflicts, with fauna underpasses and low impact boardwalk. These conversations yielded new design elements to support species such as man-made hibernacula for eastern diamondback rattlesnakes, living shorelines for migrating marsh species, floating wetlands for water quality and basking, nesting platforms for nesting and wildlife underpasses for small animals in key locations to avoid human conflicts. Credit: Design Workshop, Inc.
Stick with it
Advocating and enduring through a project to implementation with aspirational goals for environmental and social sustainability goals can be overwhelming, especially when costs are being scrutinized and decision-makers are not exposed to success stories or don’t have a long term perspective. Compromises must be made on any project. That is why outlining goals and, what we call at Design Workshop, critical success factors in the beginning of the project with all the project stakeholders is critical to establish that guiding light that will stay with the project through implementation. When wires get crossed or the path takes an unexpected turn, those goals and success factors can often help get the project back on track.
In addition to active programming, the design provides areas for passive recreation and relaxation. Native plants immerse users in the sights and sounds of nature, even in a dense urban environment. Credit: Brandon Huttenlocher/Design Workshop, Inc.
Case Studies
Below are projects that have either exercised these best practices and lessons learned to achieve the project goals and overcome challenges.
Houston Arboretum and Nature Center, Houston, TX
Credit: Brandon Huttenlocher/Design Workshop, Inc.
For over fifty years, the Houston Arboretum & Nature Center has served as a sanctuary for native plants and wildlife. After Hurricane Ike in 2008 and a record drought in 2011, over half the site’s tree canopy was lost, severely impacting the landscape and ecosystem. In response, the Arboretum enlisted scientists, engineers, and landscape architects to design a resilient landscape adapted to future climate challenges.
The team identified that historic grassland ecosystems—once dominant in Harris County—aligned with areas of greatest tree loss. By removing trees and restoring native prairie, savanna, and woodland, the Arboretum could reestablish a more climate-resilient, ecologically rich landscape. These disturbance-dependent ecosystems are naturally adapted to drought, flooding, and other extremes, unlike the overly wooded conditions that had developed in the absence of fire and grazing.
Design charrettes with local experts guided the restoration strategy, including solutions for native plant sourcing, tree removal logistics, and public education. Restoration pilots tested methods and helped explain the process to city officials and the public. A long-term monitoring program was launched in 2015, with early results showing increased tree diversity, reduced invasives, and dramatic improvements in pollinator presence and species richness.
To replace natural grazers, goats were introduced to manage invasives in hard-to-reach areas, offering both ecological benefits and public engagement. The project has transformed the Arboretum into a model of urban ecological restoration and a dynamic educational resource.
Jekyll Island Golf Course Conversion, Jekyll Island, GA
Credit: Brandon Huttenlocher/Design Workshop, Inc.
Jeykll Island’s ecological restoration transforms an aging golf course into a resilient coastal landscape, setting a national precedent for repurposing underutilized land. Once a fragmented and degraded site, the landscape is being revitalized into thriving native habitat that includes; longleaf pine savannas, coastal salt marshes, maritime forest and sweetgrass prairie. Led by landscape architects, the project balances ecological restoration with cultural heritage. By restoring habitats, providing recreation and research opportunities, ensuring ecological resilience, and developing adaptive management strategies, this effort not only protects the island’s natural heritage but also positions it as a model for coastal restoration nationwide.
This project employs strategic restoration and adaptive management to enhance biodiversity, climate resilience, and soil health. By removing turfgrass and invasives, remediating soil with organic matter, reintroducing fire-adapted native plants, and designing habitats for target species, the landscape transforms into interconnected habitats that support threatened and at-risk species while increasing ecosystem stability. Repurposing existing infrastructure to anticipate sea-level rise and increased storm surge, such as converting ditches and culverts, improves tidal flows, water quality and habitat connectivity. These efforts fortify the island’s ability to manage stormwater, prevent erosion, and adapt to climate change, demonstrating how landscape architecture can restore ecological function while mitigating risks.
This design strategically places habitats based on Jekyll’s topography, hydrology, and natural processes, both today and in the future. Upland areas are restored as longleaf pine savannas, while critical freshwater resources are protected. Lower elevations transition into brackish wetlands, supporting habitat diversity, marsh migration, and climate adaptability. Additional ecosystems, like pollinator meadows and sweetgrass prairies, restore ecological complexity and cultural ties. This layered strategy creates a resilient, self-sustaining landscape that adapts to shifting environmental conditions.
The restoration honors Jekyll Island’s rich cultural history, especially the Gullah Geechee people. Reintroducing sweetgrass pays homage to their traditional craft, while interpretive trails, art, and educational displays immerse visitors in the island’s complex ecological and cultural narratives and legacies. Elevated boardwalks and a living classroom provide firsthand learning experiences, fostering environmental stewardship and public appreciation for coastal ecosystems.
Houston Midtown Park, Houston, TX
Credit: Brandon Huttenlocher/Design Workshop, Inc.
Midtown Park redefines what is possible for ecological restoration in dense urban settings. Once an underutilized superblock in Houston’s Midtown District, the site has been transformed into a living landscape that restores native habitat, manages stormwater ecologically, and brings visible nature back into the heart of the city. Designed to emulate Houston’s bayous and wetland systems, the park integrates a constructed waterway and layered green infrastructure that together recreate the form and function of regional ecologies. The design team worked within the constraints of a high-water table and dense development footprint to introduce a restored hydrologic system, complete with rain gardens, bioswales, and a native-planted detention channel that mimics a coastal bayou. These elements manage flooding, improve water quality, and reintroduce critical habitat for birds, amphibians, and pollinators.
What sets Midtown Park apart is how these ecological systems are embedded within a tight urban grid. A 70,000-gallon subsurface cistern collects and recirculates stormwater for irrigation and for sustaining the constructed bayou during dry periods. Native plant species appropriate to Houston’s floodplain and bottomland hardwood ecosystems were carefully selected to support biodiversity while tolerating both drought and inundation. These restored habitats now support a growing range of wildlife, providing critical patches of urban habitat in a part of the city previously devoid of ecological function.
Rather than treat stormwater as waste, Midtown Park embraces it as a resource—using natural processes to cleanse, store, and reuse water. The park demonstrates how even in the most constrained sites, thoughtful design and a systems-based approach can bring functioning ecological processes back to urban land. By integrating native habitat, urban hydrology, and climate-adapted systems into every layer of the park’s design, Midtown Park serves as a replicable model for cities seeking to repair fragmented ecologies, enhance urban biodiversity, and create resilient public spaces.
Mary Branch Park, Austin, TX
Credit: Brandon Huttenlocher/Design Workshop, Inc.
Mary Elizabeth Branch Park exemplifies how native habitat and green infrastructure can be thoughtfully integrated into a dense urban redevelopment. Located in the heart of Austin’s Mueller community—a walkable, mixed-use neighborhood built on the site of the city’s former airport—the park reclaims 3.5 acres as both civic space and ecological system. Its design draws from the hydrologic landscapes of Central Texas, using sculpted grade changes, naturalistic boulder walls, and native planting typologies to evoke the forms and processes of nearby creeks and watersheds. These gestures are not only visual but functional, creating a dynamic landscape that filters stormwater, supports habitat diversity, and reconnects urban dwellers to the rhythms of nature.
The ecological strategy begins with soils and plant communities designed to reflect local reference ecosystems. Planting zones vary across the park based on sun, shade, and moisture conditions, from arid native meadows to deeper-soil hardwood groves. These zones are located along rain gardens and stormwater infiltration corridors, where native and drought-tolerant plants clean runoff and return it to the aquifer. All irrigation is supplied by reclaimed water from Austin’s non-potable system, eliminating the need for potable water and aligning park maintenance with long-term sustainability goals.
Branch Park’s ecological systems are built into every layer of the experience. A custom water feature inspired by the region’s watershed begins with a sculptural representation of rainfall and flows through native stone and planting, teaching visitors about the local climate through interaction and play. These interpretive and functional elements work together to capture 100% of on-site rainwater, reduce urban runoff, and create an immersive and educational public environment. Beyond water management, the use of native trees and adapted plantings provides critical habitat for pollinators and birds while offering shade and comfort for visitors.
Even in the presence of highly programmed elements—a playground, water play area, dog run, and performance lawn—the park prioritizes ecological performance. Vegetated zones serve as buffers and habitat edges, blurring the boundary between recreation and restoration. Materials such as permeable pavers, recycled concrete with fly ash, and regionally sourced stone were selected not only for aesthetics and durability but to support stormwater infiltration and reduce the project’s carbon footprint. Maintenance practices also reflect ecological goals: integrated pest management favors observation and targeted treatment over blanket pesticide use, supporting insect diversity and healthier soils.
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Final Thoughts
Designing and implementing native plant landscapes at scale is not without its challenges—but it is essential, urgent, and deeply rewarding. From sourcing appropriate plant material to navigating public perception, landscape architects face complex barriers in advancing ecological goals. Yet, when we commit to site-specific design, embrace adaptive management, and share both our successes and failures openly, we begin to transform underutilized land into vibrant, resilient habitat. Native planting is more than a trend; it is a long-term investment in the health of our communities and the ecosystems they depend on. With collaboration, creativity, and transparency, we can move from fragmented efforts to a shared, evolving practice rooted in performance, equity, and ecological integrity.
Emily McCoy is the Principal at Design Workshop in Raleigh, North Carolina. Her professional practice and research interests are focused on projects which seek to blur the line between infrastructure and landscape to create immersive, equitable and just spaces for all that tell stories of place. Her joy and passion for working with teams and communities to create socially, economically, and environmentally high-performance landscapes are reflected in such award-winning work and research on the NC State University’s campus, Asheville Parks and Recreation Plan, Beaufort County Green Print Plan, Jekyll Island restoration, Kinston Teens Neighborhood Resiliency Hub and Bailey Drive Gateway at Walnut Creek Wetland Park. She is also Associate Professor of Practice, NC State University.