Four Seattle-area transit parking lots were used as case studies in assessing the relationship between design and construction practices and future landscape management. Soil compaction and inadequate irrigation appeared to have the greatest impact on plant survival and vigor. Other problems identified included inappropriate plant selection, out-dated and vague construction specifications, and conflicts between planting bed design and pedestrian traffic patterns. The combination of such factors decreased the effectiveness of the plantings and increased maintenance efforts in urban parking lots. Long-term maintenance problems may be avoided with plant selection/specification review and maintenance requirement/cost projections during the design stage.
Author notes
This research partially supported by a grant from the Horticultural Research Institute.
2Graduate Research Assistant, Professor, and Associate Professor, resp.