Includes bibliographical references and index.

"This official reference guide to the Sustainable Sites Initiative Rating System contains information on principles, strategies, technologies, tools, and best practices for sustainable site design applicable to any type of designed landscape, with or without buildings, ranging from shopping malls, streetscapes, subdivisions, corporate and academic campuses, transportation corridors, parks and recreation areas, all the way to single family homes. Equally useful as a guide to achieving SSI credits, or as a guide to independent pursuit of sustainable sites, it offers in-depth coverage on important "green" topics"-- "This book will be the official reference guide to Sustainable Sites Initiative Rating System, the first national rating system for sustainable landscapes"-- Letter from SITES partners -- Sustainable site design defined / Meg Calkins -- Predesign: site selection, assessment, and planning / Heather Venhaus. Site selection ; Understanding the site ; Team development and planning strategies ; Developing project direction: principles, goals, and performance targets -- Site Design: Water / Alfred Vick, John Calabria, Stuart Echols, Michael Ogden, and David Yocca. Sustainable stormwater management ; Stormwater design approaches ; Water conservation ; Onsite wastewater treatment, disposal, and reuse -- Sight Design: Vegatation / Steve Windhager, Mark Simmons, and Jacob Blue. Vegetation and ecosystem services ; Vegetation protection techniques ; Sustainable planting design and management -- Site design: Soils / Nina Bassuk and Susan Day. Integrating soil into the design process ; Soils in the site assessment ; Soil characteristics and associated tests ; Managing soils for a sustainable site ; Soil replacement and specialized soils ; The soil management plan -- Site Design: Materials and Resources / Meg Calkins. The lifecycle of construction materials and products ; Environmental impacts of materials and products ; Human health impacts of materials ; Evaluating environmental and human health ; Impacts of materials ; Inventory and analysis for materials ; Resource efficiency ; Low-VOC materials and products ; Materials to minimize heat island impacts ; Concrete ; Aggregates and stone ; Asphalt ; Brick masonry ; Earthen materials ; Plastics ; Metals ; Bio-based materials ; Wood ; Site lighting -- Human Health and Well-Being for Sustainable Sites / Robert Ryan. Assessing the site's social setting ; Sustainability awareness and education ; Social equality in site development, construction, and use ; Site accessibility ; Site wayfinding ; Site safety ; Design for physical activity ; Restorative settings ; Design for social interaction and community building ; Preserving historic and cultural features -- Operations, Maintenance, Monitoring, and Stewardship / Amy Bellaire and David Yocca. Environmental and human health impacts of sustainable site operations, maintenance, and monitoring ; Incorporating operations, maintenance, and monitoring considerations into site design ; Monitoring to inform active and adaptive stewardship.