Water Well with CWEL Webinar

The design of urban yards is key to reducing natural resource consumption in cities. However, going from turf lawns and ornamental plants to more native vegetation with structural complexity is contingent on public acceptance. Addressing social/ cultural values is important and landscape designers frequently point to the need for yards to be designed with human intent, or ‘cues to care’. Cues to care studies have explored what kinds of designs and maintenance practices indicate that a landscape meets cultural expectations of standards for maintenance. The intent is to create more ecological landscapes, but research on cues to care has been sparse and results are often misinterpreted. This month, Dr. Mark Hostetler is a Professor, Department of Wildlife Ecology & Conservation, University of Florida will review past empirical studies in the U.S. and Canada, discuss the evolution of cues to care concept, and provide future synergies between landscapes that are aesthetically appealing and provide ecological benefit.