the kongdan foundation

For over twenty years as a city planner and neighborhood specialist, I helped others to understand how to determine the highest and best use of their property. Whether it was commercial or residential, it was always how to maximize what someone wanted to do without impacting their neighbors in a detrimental way. When getting neighborhoods to think about developing a master plan, it was always with the mindset of getting people to see beyond their yard, or property, to what they say as “thinking locally while acting globally”. To what would increase their own property value as well as their neighbors.

With up to a foot of snow in the forecast, there is no time like the present to begin planning how we want to beautify both our property as well as the neighborhood where we live. Landscape and garden design tells us how much work it will take to develop our own plan, whether and what we can do ourselves or need help and also go forward asking ourselves “what are the next three steps” that will change as we learn what it is we want to create.

The process, then and now, always begins with a site plan. We often don’t think about it but if we are a homeowner, the site plan of our property was included with our purchase. It provides a good starting point for how to landscape our yards and creating our gardens. The site plan is essential, not only showing structures like our house and driveways, but when we add trees and other permanent structures we can establish or get to a starting point as to where to begin the layout of where we want to plant additional landscaping, trees and plants that will create what we want knowing it will change over time. Trees and shade help us to determine what flowers etc. to plant. Even if we are renting where we live, beautifying where we live illustrates how we perceive our own role in life.

So, let’s get started. First develop the site plan as it exists today. We’ll take it from there. A key to what we learn is our own institutional memory we have gained over time that helps to show the way forward.