Assessing the Environmental Merits of Conservation Subdivision Design

Abstract

Conservation subdivision design has been posited to have several ecological benefits; however, the degree to which conservation subdivisions have achieved these benefits has received little empirical evidence. With the use of spatial and statistical analysis, this study investigates land preservation characteristics in fifty-four Waukesha County, Wisconsin, conservation subdivisions. Additional comparative analysis is performed with twenty-six paired conventional subdivisions. The study finds that while conservation subdivisions protected around 2,500 acres of land and helped create an interconnected network of open spaces, they also created large impervious surfaces and fragmented wildlife habitats and other natural resources. Implications for environmental sustainability are discussed.