Sustainable Land Development Using Permaculture

Abstract

This multi-faceted case study investigates sustainable land development using permaculture as the design tool. Permaculture, coined by Bill Mollison and David Holmgren, is a sustainable design theory that builds off three ethical principles used to produce a set of guidelines to follow in order to create an ecologically focused project. Permaculture, a contraction of perma-nent and initially agri-culture, has evolved to perma-nent and culture, understanding that without agriculture, culture is impossible. This chapter begins with an overview of the environmental issues followed by a description and brief history of sustainable development, with emphasis placed on the United Nations (UN) Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs). The focus will be a three-part case study examining different scales (urban, suburban, and rural) of permaculture land development in the midwestern United States (U.S.). These permaculture designs will illustrate how SDGs can be achieved to forge a sustainable future.