There is little doubt that traditional small towns and urban communities have changed over the decades. But there is also a sense that older communities made more sense than the suburban sprawl of recent decades.
What does that have to do with landscape planning, design, construction, and maintenance?
Just this: There is a growing recognition in real estate circles that establishing a sense of community is important to the design of new subdivisions. According to Urban Land, the success of “Master Planned Communities,” as distinguished from the familiar suburban subdivisions of the past, exceeds expectations, especially in terms of public interest and sales. The diversity of amenities offered by these trending new communities appeals to buyers of differing age groups, interests, and budgets. The mixed-use development, in some interesting ways, represents a return to the appeal of American small towns. Most such development honors the existing natural environment, adding parks and playgrounds, schools, and shopping areas, as well as access to business centers, entertainment, sports, and leisure-time activities and the wealth of services needed to support residential neighborhoods.
There is a commonality of understanding about what constitutes exemplary community development. Builders overwhelmingly agree that today’s buyers seek more than just “sticks and bricks.”
Landscape Planning Benefits Community Builders
Residential buyers want comfortable homes in pleasant surroundings. They embrace a lifestyle that allows them to pursue favored activities in the company of other like-minded humans. That’s what “community” represents, and it requires a comprehensive effort that involves governmental planning agencies, builders and developers, financial backers, business and educational leaders, and, of course, landscape and environmental experts.
The type of landscape planning community builders envision should be an integral part of initial development plans. The embodiment of the idea that individuals and families can come together in a physical space that has specific boundaries, and the effort to build a community that identifies and meets diverse needs for comfortable living, safety, enjoyment, leisure time, appreciation of nature, work, play, rest, and health is not unique. It is, in fact, “home” in the most inclusive sense.
Newer-planned communities do not happen by chance. An attractive physical layout constitutes a large part of the appeal. And that’s where landscaping enters the picture.
ASI Landscape Management boasts a track record of success with developers of large and small projects throughout the state. We are equally confident of our abilities, whether we act in a consulting capacity, or are chosen as the contractor on a major landscaping project. We are fully attuned to the distinctive, sometimes complex development concerns that must be addressed.
How ASI Views Community Building
Our designers have the ability to work closely with your development team, architects, engineers, and financial managers to assure that land use is functional and appropriate. We understand zoning and use requirements, and we recognize the importance of timelines and budget. We will develop realistic estimates, and satisfy financial requests with on-time projections and reporting. We are goal-oriented, and we achieve results based on strict adherence to approved plans, ongoing quality control, efficient scheduling, and reliable operation.
The most successful new communities, in Florida and throughout the country, are designed with dedicated open space, preserving the best of the natural environment as much as possible, and offering a backdrop for well-designed thoroughfares, public buildings, services, and homes. Amenities such as golf courses, swimming pools, tennis, and other sports courts, walking and bicycle paths, jogging trails, parks and playgrounds, fitness centers, and clubhouses are some of the features of most large-scale developments.
Many newer communities also plan for shopping, dining, entertainment, business centers, and social services that include libraries and fitness centers, daycare and senior citizen centers, and satellite municipal, fire and police department facilities.
Such planned communities have distinctive appeal, much like small towns of the past, or traditional urban core areas. We are aware of the trends. We are committed to responsible sustainability and the use of materials. We recognize that the motivation for new communities represents a return, in some ways, to honored past traditions, and a corresponding reaction against the kind of urban sprawl that led to an alienation between home and business, between urban and suburban living. We view modern community building as a way to rectify that separation.
The Path to Success in New Communities
ASI views its role in community builder landscape planning as a three-part process. Our firm has built a stellar reputation over two decades of working with developers throughout Florida. We believe in our ability to handle landscape planning, installation, and maintenance duties for projects of any scale. We pride ourselves on our quality, but also on our communication abilities and our commitment to serving our clients in the best possible manner.
Our approach is multi-faceted, and we are success-oriented.
Planning is key to the success of any project, and we are committed to exceeding customer expectations in all three of our primary areas of expertise:
Landscape Design Planning
Effective design for a new project begins with the collaborative process of discussing ideas. We will assist you to define and formulate your goals, design specific areas to conform to your preferences and contribute to the appeal of the community, and formulate a landscape design that will not only be beautiful and appropriate for your development, but will also satisfy the community residents, but also enhance the value of the property, now and in the future.
Landscape Construction Planning
Our award-winning designs are brought to life with the assistance of landscape construction professionals that we hand-pick and monitor fully during the entire building and installation process on every project. It is this total commitment to excellence that distinguishes our company from others in the landscaping arena. In addition, we strive to install landscapes that will mature successfully and supply lasting value to every community.
Landscape Maintenance Planning
Because we work all across Florida, you can be certain that we tailor our landscaping maintenance choices to the particular environments that we face. We know there are differences between plants that thrive in South Florida and a landscape well-suited to conditions in Orlando or the Panhandle. There are distinctions between the Gulf Coast and the Atlantic Coast. Our planning takes those differences into account, and our goal is to install landscapes that not only look natural, but that requires only a minimum of attentive “care and feeding” to look beautiful in every season.
Can We Help Build Your Community’s Landscape?
If you have a community building project in the planning stages, why not contact us to discuss the specifics of landscape planning. Remember that we can also help with hardscape elements, site drainage, and irrigation systems. We look forward to meeting with you and partnering with new community builders to bring new life to another Florida project. At ASI, we’re eager to get down to the business of planning new master-planned communities!
