Site Planning and Design Handbook

Reviewed by Deborah Dalton, ASLA

...the book aims to cover site analysis; environmental assessment; grading; design for traffic control; open space design; project management issues, including permitting and quality assurance; historic landscapes; preserving trees; stormwater management; and materials specifications and standards. Russ makes a heroic effort to cover these topics and to provide an overview of landscape restoration and site layout as well as a compressed discussion of landscape and culture -- all in 12 chapters and 560 pages.

...The four chapters on site analysis, site grading, street and parking lot design, and infrastructure include some good discussion and some useful new information about sustainable design. One particularly nice inclusion is the identification of standards and specifications from the American Society for Testing and Materials as well as other sources. Chapter 4, "Designing for People," has a helpful section on designing pedestrian walkways and paving-material standards and specifications.Russ, Thomas is the author of 'Site Planning and Design Handbook', published 2002 under ISBN 9780071377843 and ISBN 0071377840.

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