Transportation/Circulation
The transportation/circulation components, along
which movement takes place or through which materials are moved,
are a part of all land use schemes. The most apparent system is
roads and their associated parking areas. Less apparent are systems
to move power, oil and gas, water, sewage and stormwater runoff.
However, all of these networks use large amounts of land and their
construction is a major factor in preparing land for development.
The provision of 'infrastructure,' as these systems are collectively
called, is a major cost in building. The type and arrangement
of these systems is an important consideration in any site design.
In the big picture of transportation, the ideal pattern for a
traveler would be a fully integrated land, water, and air transportation
system allowing for seamless transitions from one form of transportation
to another. For example, one would like to be able to fly or take
a train into an urban area and connect to a clean and efficient
light rail system for reaching destinations in the center. At
that point, walking or a short taxi ride would get one to the
final destination. Few urban areas have fully integrated systems.
In most, long bus or taxi rides are necessary to get from one
city area to another or from one form of intercity transportation
to another.
For the urban or suburban resident it is desirable to have many
alternate forms of transportation available. Walking or bike paths
should be available for short to medium sized trips and for recreation;
the automobile for longer trips or access to rural areas; and
various forms of mass transit for urban access needs. In most
areas there are limited alternatives available or the alternatives
are not well linked together. Transportation systems, presently
dominated by the automobile, are in great need of redesign and
restructuring.
Beneath the ground of most places there is a vast network of pipes.
Oil and gas pipelines run across forests, streams, and farmland
to serve urban centers along their routes. Urban areas are crisscrossed
with plumbing for drinking water, sewage, and stormwater catchment
and drainage. Above-ground powerlines in vast interconnected grids
provide electrical energy to even remote sites. These lineal systems
of transport carry the vital juices of contemporary society.
Site design in permaculture will frequently connect to the larger
infrastructure system and develop internal systems of its own.
A site will have a connection to get to it, places to store vehicles,
paths and roads to move from one section to another. We may rearrange
and build drainage structures and waterways on the site. Some
provision for sewage and greywater movement and treatment will
be devised. Drinking water and power will be necessary and may
be brought into or generated on the site. These systems are essential
for a properly functioning design and need to be considered from
the very beginning of the design process. Often they influence
the arrangement and use of other elements.
All too frequently, the infrastructure elements are thought of
as separate from one another. For example, in most urban areas
drinking water, storm water, and sewage waste water are controlled
by separate authorities. In permaculture we are aware that water,
in all forms, is a resource. Rainfall can be captured for drinking.
Runoff can be collected and stored, used for washing and passed
on for irrigation. Low-flush toilets can feed wetland treatment
areas that provide habitat for beneficial insects, birds and amphibians.
Running water can provide hydropower for use on the site.
Site circulation systems occupy land that might be put to productive
use. Therefore, it is important to design efficient systems that
use the least amount of land. There are essentially three generic
types of arrangement -- grid, radial and branching. Grid systems
are efficient in providing consistently sized land parcels with
equal opportunity for access. Diagonal movement is difficult.
Radial systems provide ease of dispersal and land parcels of varying
size and shape. They have a chance for congestion to occur where
the spokes come together. Radial systems frequently incorporate
one or more ring roads to connect the spokes. Branching systems
work well to fit roads to landforms but access from one branch
to another is circuitous. Usually, some combination of the pure
systems will provide for the most accessible and usable pattern.
