This page provides the detailed evidence base, research, and data underpinning the Landscape Institute’s position on landscape-led developments. Complementing our main page on the topic, this section offers deeper insight into the environmental, social, and economic benefits of placing landscape at the heart of planning and design.
Here, you’ll find case studies, policy references, technical resources, and metrics that demonstrate the value of landscape-led approaches in creating resilient, sustainable, and inclusive places. Whether you’re a practitioner, policymaker, developer, or researcher, this content is designed to support informed decision-making and best practice in landscape-led planning.
Supporting statistics
Housing Design Audit for England (Place Alliance, 2021): Found that 75% of new large-scale housing developments in England were rated as ‘mediocre’ or ‘poor’ in design quality. This highlights the need for improved planning and a landscape-led approach to create more sustainable and attractive communities.
Economic Impact of Environmental Horticulture and Landscaping (Oxford Economics, 2024): The UK’s environmental horticulture and landscaping sector contributes significantly to the economy, supporting over 722,000 jobs and adding £38 billion in annual GDP. This demonstrates the financial and employment benefits of integrating high-quality landscapes into development.
Mallard Pass Solar Farm (LDA Design, 2024): The approved Mallard Pass Solar Farm will generate clean energy for 92,000 homes annually while delivering a 72% net gain in biodiversity, showing how a landscape-led approach can balance infrastructure development with environmental sustainability.
Measuring the Placemaking Impacts of Housing-led Regeneration (UK Government, 2021): The study found that well-designed, landscape-integrated regeneration projects can lead to 15-20% increases in property values and higher levels of community satisfaction, reinforcing the economic and social value of good placemaking.
Connswater Community Greenway, Belfast: A landscape-led regeneration project delivered by The Paul Hogarth Company, the Greenway has generated between £1.34 and £1.59 in local economic benefit for every £1 invested. The scheme, which won the Landscape Institute President’s Award in 2019, demonstrates the strong return landscape-driven projects can offer in terms of health, connectivity, and economic uplift.
The Economic Impact of Ornamental horticulture and landscaping in the UK: This report from 2018 highlighted that access to green spaces adds an estimated £131 billion to the value of UK housing stock, highlighting the societal value of proximity to nature.
General resources
The Trafford Design Code highlights Mayfield Park in Manchester as a successful landscape-led development. This project revitalised a derelict area by introducing green spaces and unearthing a hidden river, demonstrating how urban regeneration can prioritise ecological restoration and public amenity. The park anchors a broader regeneration project set to deliver 1,500 homes, one million square metres of office space, a 350-bedroom hotel, and retail and leisure facilities, demonstrating how landscape-led initiatives can drive comprehensive urban renewal. The newly planted trees are estimated to remove approximately 3 tonnes of CO₂ from the atmosphere annually, contributing to improved air quality. More detailed information on the project can be found here.
Research National Housing Audit | Place Alliance
The Place Alliance’s “A Housing Design Audit for England” evaluated 142 large-scale housing projects and found that the design of new housing environments in England was predominantly ‘mediocre’ or ‘poor’. This underscores the need for improved design quality, which can be achieved through a landscape-led approach.
Community-led place stewardship
This report examines European models of community-led place stewardship, highlighting how local communities can effectively manage and enhance their environments. It offers insights into the principles and practices that have led to successful landscape-led developments across Europe.
Case studies – South Downs National Park Authority
The South Downs National Park Authority showcases various case studies where landscape-led design has been implemented. These examples demonstrate how development can be harmoniously integrated into the natural landscape, preserving the character and biodiversity of the area.
Cotswolds landscape-led development position statement
This position statement advocates for a landscape-led approach to development within the Wye Valley Area of Outstanding Natural Beauty. It emphasises the importance of basing development on robust evidence of local need and preserving the unique landscape character.
Urban Extensions: A Landscape Approach, Corby, UK | Simon Rackham Landscape Architects
This study focuses on the landscape-led masterplanning of urban extensions in Corby. It explores concepts such as linking developments to the surrounding countryside and integrating green infrastructure to enhance the quality of urban growth.
Measuring the placemaking impacts of housing-led regeneration
This report evaluates the positive external impacts of housing-led development on placemaking. It highlights the need for a credible methodology to monetise these impacts, citing examples like the English Cities Fund’s intervention in Salford Central.
Wye Valley position statement on landscape-led development
This document emphasises the role of the Wye Valley National Landscape in addressing ecological and climate emergencies through appropriate development measures that conserve and enhance natural beauty.
The economic impact of environmental horticulture and landscaping in the UK
Examines the contributions of the UK’s environmental horticulture and landscaping industry to the national economy. It assesses the direct, indirect, and induced economic impacts of activities such as ornamental plant cultivation, garden equipment manufacturing, and landscape maintenance. Additionally, the report explores the industry’s broader social and environmental benefits, including enhancements to health, well-being, social inclusion, and ecosystem services.
The Urban GreenUP of Liverpool
Led by Reshaped and recognised at the most recent Landscape Institute Awards, the Urban GreenUP project demonstrates the power of nature-based solutions in urban environments. Through detailed monitoring and reporting, the project has evidenced measurable improvements in air quality, thermal comfort, and biodiversity, reinforcing the value of integrating green infrastructure at city scale.
Valuing Attractive Landscapes in the Urban Economy (VALUE) Project
Aimed at demonstrating the economic benefits of green infrastructure at city and regional scales, the project developed economic valuation tools to assess green infrastructure, assisting cities in targeting investments for maximum economic benefit. Case studies, such as street tree investments on Whitworth Street in Manchester, provided practical evidence of these benefits.
Integrating Green and Gray: Creating Next Generation Infrastructure
Published by the World Resources Institute, this report advocates for combining natural systems with traditional infrastructure to enhance performance and resilience. It provides guidance for developing countries on integrating green infrastructure, such as wetlands and forests, with grey infrastructure like dams and pipes, to create cost-effective and sustainable solutions.
Green Infrastructure: Guide for Water Management
Published by the UNEP-DHI Centre, this guide aims to raise awareness of the benefits of green infrastructure (GI) solutions for water resources management. It provides a foundation for assessing options between green and grey infrastructure alternatives, exploring the applicability of GI solutions either as stand-alone or within hybrid approaches. The guide emphasises ecosystem-based management approaches for water-related infrastructure projects.
UK Natural Capital Accounts: 2024
Published by the Office for National Statistics (ONS), this report provides comprehensive estimates of the financial and societal value of the UK’s natural resources. In 2022, the total asset value of the UK’s ecosystem services was approximately £1.8 trillion, marking an 11% increase since 2018. Notably, health benefits from recreation contributed £489 billion to this total. The report also highlights that nature removed nearly 1.4 million tonnes of pollutants from the air in 2022, underscoring the critical role of natural environments in public health and economic valuation.
Relationship between access to green space and health
Green spaces provide opportunities to exercise, and spending time in nature can relieve stress. Additionally, green spaces reduce air and noise pollution, and reduce the ‘heat island effect’ (the higher temperatures of built-up areas compared to their rural surroundings) in urban places.
Fields in Trust Standards are a crucial tool to help local authorities, developers, planners, urban designers and landscape architects across all stages of the planning, design and management of multifunctional green spaces.
The Fields in Trust Green Space Index (GSI) is a unique data tool designed to track and analyse green space provision across Great Britain.
Papers and reports
First life, then spaces, then buildings
This essay advocates a landscape-led approach to urban development. It emphasises designing spaces for people and community interaction before focusing on buildings. It critiques traditional, building-first planning and argue that prioritising landscape leads to more sustainable, socially connected, and liveable places.
This explores the concept of landscape-led development, emphasising the creation of places where people feel a sense of belonging. It discusses how the term ‘landscape’ originates from Old English, combining ‘land’ (home territory) and ‘scape’ (to create), highlighting the process of crafting spaces that foster community connection. It advocates for prioritising landscape in master planning to enhance social interaction and well-being.
Connecting people and place through landscape – Planning success for Waterbeach New Town East
In December 2024, South Cambridgeshire District Council approved plans for Waterbeach New Town East, a development featuring 4,500 homes with 30% designated as affordable housing. Designed by LDA Design, the masterplan emphasises a landscape-led approach, prioritising pedestrians and cyclists over cars.
Emerging designs for East of England reservoirs
This report by LDA Design explores how reservoirs can be transformed into multifunctional landscapes that enhance biodiversity, recreation, and community well-being. It advocates for a landscape-led approach, integrating sustainable water management with public access and ecological improvements. The report highlights how reservoirs can serve as vital green and blue infrastructure, supporting climate resilience and local engagement.
Urban Blue Spaces: Planning and Design for Water, Health and Well-Being
An evidence-based approach to designing urban water environments that enhance public health and well-being while mitigating risks. Drawing from the EU-funded BlueHealth project, it offers nature-based solutions to promote sustainable, resilient cities. The book addresses the complex relationship between urban populations and water bodies, advocating for designs that improve quality of life and environmental sustainability.
Oral evidence on Operation of the National Planning Policy Framework
Hugh Ellis, Director of Policy at the Town and Country Planning Association, addresses the importance of good design in development. He acknowledges systemic problems in planning regarding design quality and emphasises the need for better integration between town planning and architecture. Ellis suggests that involving communities in design discussions can lead to more acceptable and higher-quality developments.
Unlocking the power of green spaces in Northern towns and cities
The National Trust has commissioned research into the value of urban green spaces in the North, and how they can breathe new life into the North’s towns and cities, making them better places to live in the future. The research was commissioned to inform Nature North’s thinking about how we generate larger-scale investment in urban nature and green spaces, and how to encourage ambitious leadership.
A ‘once in a generation’ opportunity for the UK’s next wave of new towns
Humanise commissioned Thinks Insights + Strategy to conduct an independent survey of 1,000 people living in England’s post-war new towns, to really understand what they think and feel about the buildings that shape their communities. The findings show that residents are highly dissatisfied with the buildings that surround them – with only 4% of survey respondents spontaneously describing their town as “nice”.
A template for landscape-led policy
The South Downs NPA Local Plan provides a framework for landscape-led policy. Although it’s based within a National Park, there’s no fundamental reason why it can’t be applied elsewhere, particularly as the SDNPA is the 8th largest English planning authority, incorporating multiple peri-urban and urban areas and settlements.
The following is taken from Strategic Policy SD5 within the South Downs NPA Local Plan:
Development proposals will only be permitted where they adopt a landscape-led approach and respect the local character, through sensitive and high-quality design that makes a positive contribution to the overall character and appearance of the area. The following design principles should be adopted as appropriate:
a) Integrate with, respect and sympathetically complement the landscape character by ensuring development proposals are demonstrably informed by an assessment of the landscape context;
b) Achieve effective and high-quality routes for people and wildlife, taking opportunities to connect GI;
c) Contribute to local distinctiveness and sense of place through its relationship to adjoining buildings, spaces and landscape features, including historic settlement pattern;
d) Create high-quality, clearly defined public and private spaces within the public realm;
e) Incorporate hard and soft landscape treatment which takes opportunities to connect to the wider landscape, enhances GI, and is consistent with local character;
f) Utilise architectural design which is appropriate and sympathetic to its setting in terms of height, massing, density, roof form, materials, night and day visibility, elevational and, where relevant, vernacular detailing;
g) Provide high quality, secure, accessible, and where possible, integrated storage for general and recycling waste, heating fuel, and transport related equipment;
h) Provide high quality outdoor amenity space appropriate to the needs of its occupiers or users;
i) Ensure development proposals are durable, sustainable and adaptable over time, and provide sufficient internal space to meet the needs of a range of users;
j) Give regard to improving safety and perceptions of safety, and be inclusive and accessible for all; and
k) Have regard to avoiding harmful impact upon, or from, any surrounding uses and amenities.
Relevant Landscape Institute policy responses
In September 2024, the LI responded to government consultations on planning reforms, advocating for a strategic, landscape-led approach that aligns housing and infrastructure planning with economic, social, and environmental benefits.
‘Homes, not houses’ – LI responds to housing white paper
In May 2017, the LI emphasised that a landscape-led approach to housing development serves the public interest by fostering community engagement and addressing issues such as climate resilience and pollution.
The Landscape for 2030 report, published in March 2021, followed on from the 2008 climate change position statement. It underscores the pivotal role of the landscape profession in addressing the twin crises of climate change and biodiversity loss. The document features eleven case studies that showcase practical interventions by landscape professionals, demonstrating how landscape architecture can contribute to creating climate-resilient, low-carbon environments.
As a result of positive responses to feedback from the 2009 position statement on Green
Infrastructure: Connected and multifunctional landscapes, this report on Making it Home demonstrates why multifunctional landscapes should increasingly be at the heart of every housing development.
Landscape-led briefing
Read the full briefing on landscape-led development from the Landscape Institute