Toward Ecological Literacy: Landscape Design for Public Appreciation of and Education about ...

341 Pages·2017·22.65 MB·English

by  Wilasinee Suksawang

UC Berkeley
UC Berkeley Electronic Theses and Dissertations
Title
Toward Ecological Literacy: Landscape Design for Public Appreciation of and Education
about Sustainable Stormwater Management in San Francisco Bay Area
Permalink
https://escholarship.org/uc/item/2g20k6mz
Author
Suksawang, Wilasinee
Publication Date
2017

Peer reviewed|Thesis/dissertation
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University of California
Toward Ecological Literacy:
Landscape Design for Public Appreciation of and Education about
Sustainable Stormwater Management in San Francisco Bay Area

By

Wilasinee Suksawang

A dissertation submitted in partial satisfaction of the

requirements for the degree of

Doctor of Philosophy

in

Landscape Architecture and Environmental Planning

in the

Graduate Division

of the

University of California, Berkeley

Committee in charge:

Professor Louise Mozingo, Chair
Professor Michael Southworth
Professor Galen Cranz

Fall 2017
Toward Ecological Literacy:
Landscape Design for Public Appreciation of and Education about
Sustainable Stormwater Management in San Francisco Bay Area

Copyright 2017

by

Wilasinee Suksawang
Abstract

Toward Ecological Literacy:
Landscape Design for Public Appreciation of and Education about
Sustainable Stormwater Management in San Francisco Bay Area

by

Wilasinee Suksawang

Doctor of Philosophy in Landscape Architecture and Environmental Planning

University of California, Berkeley

Professor Louise Mozingo, Chair

Stormwater management has long existed as a daunting task for many cities. Within recent
decades, a novel landscape design approach to effectively and sustainably manage urban
stormwater known as Low Impact Development (LID) was initiated in the United States.
Unfortunately, the LID projects, although holding ecological benefits, have often fallen short
of achieving public recognition and satisfaction because of their illegible and unkempt looks.

Concerning this onerous problem, the tenet that stormwater knowledge can play a role in
stimulating aesthetic appreciation of LID landscapes has been reiterated. This study,
accordingly, intends to provide information and insight regarding public appreciation of and
education about the LID design. San Francisco Bay Area was chosen as a study area due to
its unique and critical stormwater management situations. Eight projects, which demonstrate
a range of LID designs, were selected as the test sites. In addition, other eight places
representing a range of conventional landscape designs, the non-LID sites, were also selected
as the control sites. The questionnaires were developed and distributed to visitors of these 16
selected study sites using the street intercept method. Results from the analysis of 502
responses demonstrate that, in most of the cases, the LID facilities were well recognized and
appreciated by the respondents, compared to the conventional-designed landscapes, thereby
suggesting that these LID cases can serve as good models for the ensuing projects and,
besides, the implementation of LID design in San Francisco Bay Area can be continued
without serious concern about public resistance. Nonetheless, because some LID facilities
were unlikely to receive positive public responses, making better designs and advancing
stormwater literacy are both considered key strategies. The analysis results also reveal that
respondents thought they were not quite knowledgeable about sustainable stormwater
management, yet they were open to information and knowledge, especially through reading

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the interpretive signs at the facilities, leading to the recommendation that LID projects in the
Bay Area be developed in a manner that they can facilitate stormwater education.

This dissertation concludes by highlighting the role that landscape design can play in making
successful and meaningful LID facilities and, ultimately, establishing desirable relationships
between aesthetics and ecology. Based on the review of design strategies proposed in
relevant literatures and used in existing projects along with the insights derived from the
survey results, an innovative set of design criteria for creating the LID facilities which can
enrich aesthetic experience and enhance stormwater knowledge of their visitors is developed.
These design criteria include 1) visibility and legibility, 2) accessibility, 3) functionality, 4)
attractiveness and interest, 5) cultural aesthetics, 6) ecological revelation, 7) interactive
activities, 8) interpretive signage, 9) water features, and 10) application and replication. In
addition, this dissertation also develops the guidelines for designing the prominent
stormwater management features, which include 1) water tank/ cistern, 2) street gutter/ storm
drain/ runnel, 3) pavers/ permeable pavement, 4) lawn/ grass/ turf, 5) rain garden/
bioretention planter/ bioswale, 6) stormwater pond/ constructed wetland, 7) green street/
green parking lot, 8) green roof, 9) green wall, and 10) scupper/ downspout. Even though
these criteria and guidelines are developed based on the situations of San Francisco Bay
Area, they are considered applicable to other geographical areas.

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Dedication

To

my parents, Withoon Suksawang and Srisakul Suksawang,
who have been my first and greatest teachers

and

my husband, Spavit Darnthamrongkul,
who has encouraged and supported me to keep flying toward my dreams.

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Table of Contents

Abstract 1
Dedication i
Table of contents ii
List of tables vii
List of figures xiii
Acknowledgements xxiii

Chapter 1: Introduction 1
1.1 Research inspiration and impetus 1
1.2 Research background and contribution 2
1.3 Research questions and hypotheses 4
1.4 Structure of the dissertation 7

Chapter 2: Ecological Design, Aesthetics, and Literacy 9
2.1 Ecological concern in American landscape design 9
2.2 Ecological landscape design in the United States 10
2.3 Conflicts between aesthetic and ecological values in landscape design 13
2.4 Environmental ethics and ecological aesthetics 15
2.5 Landscape design for ecological aesthetics 16
2.6 Ecological literacy and environmental education 19
2.7 Scientific knowledge and aesthetic appreciation of landscapes 23
2.8 Urban landscapes as pedagogy of ecological science and conscience 24

Chapter 3: Stormwater Management, Design, and Education 28
3.1 Urban stormwater ecosystem and crisis 28
3.2 Sanitary service and urban stormwater management in American cities 28
3.3 Sustainable stormwater management and low impact development 31
(LID)
3.4 Stormwater regulation in the United States 32
3.5 Stormwater education and outreach programs 34
3.6 Landscape design for stormwater education 36

Chapter 4: Study of Attitudes toward Landscape Design and Stormwater 39
Education
4.1 Attitude measurement and scales 39
4.2 Research methods for attitude studies 42
4.2.1 Survey methods for data collection 42
4.2.2 Statistical tools for data analysis and hypothesis testing 43

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4.3 Pertinent research precedents 44
4.3.1 Research in environmental psychology and landscape design 45
4.3.2 Survey of water and stormwater knowledge, attitude, and 51
behavior

Chapter 5: Sustainable Stormwater Management in San Francisco Bay Area 56
5.1 Stormwater ecosystem and crisis in San Francisco Bay Area 56
5.2 Sustainable stormwater management practices in San Francisco 57
Bay Area
5.2.1 Regulatory requirements 58
5.2.2 Implementing agencies 60
5.2.3 Design guidelines 62
5.2.4 Cases and pilot projects 63
5.2.5 Public education and outreach 68
5.3 Study sites 73
5.3.1 Test sites (sites with LID design) 76
5.3.2 Control sites (sites without LID design) 81

Chapter 6: Survey Procedures for Data Collection 86
6.1 Questionnaire survey 86
6.2 Pilot studies 86
6.3 Survey instrument and questionnaire pretests 88
6.4 Sampling method and sample size 90
6.5 Survey distribution and response 91
6.6 Respondents’ demographic information 92
6.6.1 Gender 92
6.6.2 Age 94
6.6.3 Educational attainment 96
6.6.4 Educational field 97
6.6.5 Occupational field 102
6.7 Respondents’ relationships with the study sites 103
6.7.1 Length of time knowing the sites 103
6.7.2 Frequency of visiting the sites 104
6.7.3 Purposes of visiting the sites 105

Chapter 7: Statistical Tools for Data Analysis and Hypothesis Testing 108
7.1 Descriptive statistics 108
7.1.1 Frequency distribution 108
7.1.2 Central tendency 109
7.1.3 Measures of variability 109

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7.2 Inferential statistics 110
7.2.1 Independent-samples t test 110
7.2.2 Paired-samples t test 110
7.2.3 One-way between-groups ANOVA 111
7.2.4 One-way within-groups ANOVA 112
7.2.5 Pearson correlation test 112
7.2.6 Partial correlation test 113
7.3 Statistical tools for analyzing survey data and testing research 113
hypotheses

Chapter 8: Appreciation of the Landscape Design of the Study Sites 117
8.1 The rating for aesthetic attractiveness of the study sites 117
8.1.1 Descriptive statistics of the rating for aesthetic attractiveness 117
8.1.2 Difference between the means of the rating for aesthetic 121
attractiveness of the study sites with and without LID design
8.2 The rating for functional efficiency of the study sites 125
8.2.1 Descriptive statistics of the rating for functional efficiency 125
8.2.2 Difference between the means of the rating for functional 128
efficiency of the study sites with and without LID design
8.3 The rating for ecological performance of the study sites 130
8.3.1 Descriptive statistics of the rating for ecological performance 130
8.3.2 Difference between the means of the rating for ecological 134
performance of the study sites with and without LID design
8.4 Difference between the rating means of each study site 136
8.5 Correlation between the rating scores of each study site 139
8.6 Summary of results from the hypothesis tests (H-1.1-1.5) 143

Chapter 9: Perception of the Sustainable Stormwater Management Function of 145
the Study Sites
9.1 The rating for sustainable stormwater management function of 145
the study sites
9.1.1 Descriptive statistics of the rating for sustainable stormwater 145
management function
9.1.2 Difference between means of the rating for sustainable 149
stormwater management function of the study sites with
and without LID design
9.2 Perceived sustainable stormwater management landscape features 151
in the study sites
9.3 Difference between the mean of the sustainable stormwater 154
management function rating and the means of the appreciation
ratings of each study site

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9.4 Correlation between the sustainable stormwater management 158
function rating and the appreciation ratings of each study site
9.5 Summary of results from the hypothesis tests (H-2.1-2.4) 161

Chapter 10: Evaluation of the Attractiveness, Effectiveness, Sustainability, and 163
Recognizability of the Landscape Elements
10.1 The ratings of the landscape elements 163
10.1.1 The rating for attractiveness 163
10.1.2 The rating for effectiveness 166
10.1.3 The rating for sustainability 169
10.1.4 The rating for recognizability 172
10.2 Difference between the ratings of each landscape element 175
10.3 Correlation between the ratings of each landscape element 181
10.4 Summary of results from the hypothesis tests (H-3.1-3.3) 192

Chapter 11: Conceptions and Knowledgeability about Sustainable Stormwater 194
Management of the Respondents
11.1 Concerns about ecological problems in San Francisco Bay Area 194
11.2 Significant sources of water pollution in San Francisco Bay Area 197
11.3 Notions of sustainable ways to manage urban stormwater 199
11.4 Places with ecological benefits 200
11.5 Places with sustainable stormwater management benefits 202
11.6 Knowledgeability about sustainable stormwater management topics 203
11.7 Summary of results from the hypothesis tests (H-4.1-4.6) 208

Chapter 12: Interest in Learning about Sustainable Stormwater Management of 210
the Respondents
12.1 Education of sustainable stormwater management issues 210
12.2 Participation in sustainable stormwater management programs 211
12.3 Interest in learning more about sustainable stormwater management 212
12.3.1 Degree of interest 212
12.3.2 Preferable learning options 216
12.4 Summary of results from the hypothesis tests (H-5.1-5.3) 218

Chapter 13: Landscape Design for Public Appreciation and Education of 220
Sustainable Stormwater Management
13.1 Design criteria for sustainable stormwater management landscapes 220
13.1.1 Visibility and legibility 220
13.1.2 Accessibility 223
13.1.3 Functionality 225

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