In this essay we cover the different arguments of why natural landscaping should be implemented in the City of Green Bay, and how we would persuade different audiences to do so.
Within our research we found that there were seemingly endless definitions of natural landscaping. For the scope of this project we decided to go off of a more generic and simple definition. Natural landscaping, also called native gardening, is the use of an area’s native plants including trees, shrubs, ground cover, and grasses which are local to the geographic area of the garden. Native plants are well adapted to their climates, meaning they should not require any pesticides, fertilizers or supplemental water to maintain their proper growth and health. These types of plants suit the current interest in “low maintenance” gardening and landscaping. Of course there will always be outliers but the majority of the home-owning population does not have the time or energy to spend meticulously caring for yards and gardens. Hence why natural landscaping has become quite popular amongst those who do not want to set aside a lot of time for their yards.
Natural landscaping is not only recognized as more efficient by homeowners, municipalities are also beginning to see the benefits of this type of landscaping. The majority of our cities and towns deal with budget cuts and staffing shortages regularly. This can be quite difficult to overcome especially in areas where there is a significant amount of municipal property that needs tending. Implementing natural landscaping removed the need for massive landscaping and staff budgets. The less time the municipalities spend budgeting their landscaping needs the more money and time they will have for other city and town wide issues. Which is a win - win for all.
Natural landscapes look different depending on the climate, neighborhood, and country you live in. Because of this we decided to analyze neighborhoods in the City of Green Bay. Based on this we came to the conclusion from our own experience of living in Green Bay that these were the two main types of natural landscapes. Which one people had mainly depended on the majority income of your neighborhood. Higher income neighborhoods have houses with more intentionally placed plants, ponds or fountains, and more of a variety of plants in general. Lower income neighborhoods focus more on prairie style natural landscaping which usually means they let native flowers and grass grow in a controlled area.
For our project our team was prompted by the U.S. Government to increase the amount of people within the City of Green Bay using natural landscaping. To do this however, we needed to take a look at the requirements and definitions that the city currently has in place regarding natural landscaping.
The standards set by the City of Green Bay are as follows:
May include forbs, grasses, edible plants, shrubs, or trees.
May be designed as rain gardens with plantings and grading specifically designed to receive and infiltrate rainwater or clear water flows.
Plants shall be deliberately selected and arranged as part of a coherent overall plan. Overgrowth of plants is strictly prohibited and subjected to fines set by the city.
No species identified on the Wisconsin Department of Natural Resources' Regulated Invasive Plants list, designated as Prohibited or Restricted, is permitted.
A planned natural landscaping area must have a distinct and clearly defined border.
Plant height shall be maintained at the appropriate maximum height at maturity for the specific species.
One interesting portion of the Green Bay natural landscaping policy is that if an individual would like to implement this type of landscaping on their property they need to register with the city. There are multiple forms one must fill out online, all of which are linked on the City’s website. The essence of natural landscaping in our group's opinion is to be simpler and less of a hassle than traditional gardening and yard work. However, the strict policies and planning required by the City of Green Bay is incredibly counterintuitive to the core reasoning and individuals would choose to implement natural landscaping. The planning and submission requirements are as follows:
A plan of the property drawn to scale must be submitted to the City of Green Bay, with the following points included.
A clear description, illustration, or photograph of the type(s) of edging proposed, including materials, height, and proposed placement.
A planting plan indicating the plant species and/or seed mixes to be used
Any proposed change in grade or excavation required beyond standard excavation and soil replacement
The essence of natural landscaping in our group's opinion is to be simpler and less of a hassle than traditional gardening and yard work. However, the strict policies and planning required by the City of Green Bay is incredibly counterintuitive to the core reasoning and individuals would choose to implement natural landscaping.
Audience Analysis:
Our team decided to focus heavily on analyzing our audiences for this project. We felt that before we could even begin to implement our thoughts and ideas on natural landscaping around Green Bay, we would need to have a deep and thorough understanding of the audiences we would be working with. After researching the demographics and groups among the citizens of Green Bay we made the choice to further analyze three main groups. Including: People who live in the suburbs with higher income, those who live in urban areas with higher income and finally people who live in urban areas with lower income. We felt that these audiences were specific enough to the types of neighborhoods and income demographics within Green Bay for our team to make a list of assumed beliefs for the 3 audiences. This way, we were able to analyze what we believed to be the most realistic responses to our selected beliefs for each audience. To start out we made a chart with questions/statements and then filled the same chart out for each audience. We used our own rendition of the Fishbein Theory by leaving out the total averages he adds at the end. We did this intentionally because we did not think it was necessary for us in order to come to a sound conclusion.
Key: Highlighted cells are the points of intervention that we chose to focus on based on each audience's group.
For our first audience we chose to analyze people in the City of Green Bay who live in higher income neighborhoods. We found it interesting to choose this label because the “city” of GB is not a stereotypical highrise city. Unless you live right on the river you’re living in a neighborhood and the space between your house or size of your backyard grows with your income level. When analyzing the higher income suburbs of GB we chose to focus on 3 points that had the most interesting scores based on the audience.
Pesticides are poison poison and hurt the environment ie. animals who ingest it and insects. Evaluation: +8 | Salience: 4
We evaluated this at a positive larger number because we thought that people with more money would care more strongly either way about this statement, however we gave it a low salience because based on our research they do not value either or.
Watering a lawn is a waste of water. Evaluation: -6 | Salience: 8
This conclusion was based again on money. Our evaluation score was -6 because we think that higher income people would not think that this would be considered a waste if they had the money to spend on it and care about their lawns looking green and fresh. The salience was high because of this as well.
Controlled garden areas. Evaluations 0 | Salience: 10
We evaluated this as a 0 because we did not think that most people who have money would need to think about this. The majority of people living in the suburbs focus mostly on their lawns, this was an observation we made after researching the Green Bay area. When it comes to salience we gave this a 10 as the belief is most likely going to be tough to change here.
This audience was an important one for our team to include within our analysis. The urban neighborhoods of Green Bay are quite diverse financially and demographically, so it was crucial for us to include both higher and lower income for these neighborhoods as there is less physical divide between them than one may initially think. For this audience we chose to highlight two beliefs that had the most significant scores.
Controlled gardening areas Evaluations +10 | Salience: 10
We evaluated this as a +10 as this audience does not have the same large lawn space as their counterparts in suburban neighborhoods. Therefore, to keep up with the status quo and have a nicer looking yard one must spend a bit more time working on their controlled gardening areas rather than the lawn. The majority of homes within these urban areas do not have much green lawn space at all. We gave this a salience of 10 as well because this belief will be quite difficult to change and we feel this audience feels strongly about their controlled gardening areas.
Feelings toward wildlife/pests: Evaluation -8 | Salience: 10
We gave this belief and evaluation a -8 as most people in any audience we choose to analyze would have mostly negative feelings towards pests. Salience is a 10 here as we concluded that most people feel very strongly about this belief.
After analyzing this audience the stark differences in beliefs between those who live in the suburban neighborhoods and urban areas become very clear. All of our points of intervention and persuasive tactics were based off of these charts and our analysis. Without them we would not have been able to create and form a successful implementation plan.
Our final audience was a little difficult to analyze as it can be hard to think critically and thoughtfully about our own biases and understanding of this income demographic. However, through our research we were able to draw conclusions and assign evaluations and salience to each of our chosen beliefs. The highlighted beliefs for this audience shed light on what they would hold strong opinions on.
Controlled gardening areas Evaluations +5 | Salience: 7
We gave this belief an evaluation of +5 as this truly depends on the individual and we found it hard to palace this belief on either end of the evaluation spectrum. Some people in this audience may care deeply about their gardening areas while others may not, it is up to the person and household in this situation. Salience on this we gave a 7 as those who feel strongly for or against controlled gardening areas may not be keen to change their minds. We wanted to make sure we highlighted the strength of the belief even though the belief could be dependent on the individual.
Feelings towards wildlife / pests Evaluations -10 | Salience: 10
Once again this was an easier point to highlight for our team as the majority of people no matter their income level or housing situation do not feel much positivity towards pests. Especially for those on a lower income, maintaining a pest free yard and home can be difficult to pay for, so this belief is very strong along with a strong salience.
While this audience took our team longer to analyze it proved to be invaluable to assessing what we needed to include when drawing out conclusions and deciding on our key points of intervention. It was necessary for us to look at multiple audiences to get the full picture into what the City of Green Bay would need to do to fully implement more natural landscaping throughout its neighborhoods, regardless of income or living situation.
Our thorough audience analysis was incredibly beneficial to finding the most substantial points of intervention for each audience. Without the analysis, we would not have been able to make such informed and audience tailored choices for our arguments. We were able to pick out specific ideals and beliefs that each audience held dear and base our points of intervention off of them. Our level of persuasion and its success would be much lower if we had not chosen this route for our project.
Low-income families prioritize saving money over the aesthetic of their front lawns or backyards. One way is by having to spend less money on fixing their houses if they don’t have enough money to invest in landscaping. Another way is to save their money for more important needs such as having enough money for gas. A third way is by not spending money on landscaping, it reduces the risk of flooding and drainage problems that may occur as a result. Another factor that low-income families prioritize is time itself. Time reduces the amount of lawn you need to mow.
We decided this because lower income families probably don’t have a strong attitude about landscaping.
In order to change behavior we focused on two different strategies.
Encourage the audience to follow their own instinct.
Saving money is important to people and already an instinct in many lower income households. If we talk about the benefits and money one can save (see above) switching to natural landscaping then that would be a way to change their behavior without changing their attitude.
Amplify the emotion associated with an existing belief.
One tactic for this would be to emphasize how much time is spent maintaining a green lawn. Time is money in many people's minds so this would again not be an attitude change but a behavior change.
Higher income families naturally gravitate towards more aesthetic things. This is not just because they can afford it but because it is part of the social norm in our society to have a clean looking neighborhood. This would be a point of intervention, we would have to convince enough people that the aesthetic of a higher income neighborhood does not have to be a clean lawn = a green lawn. Another couple of points would be stressing saving money, providing natural habitats for animals and protecting Lake Michigan. Higher income families can afford to invest in eco-friendly solutions whereas lower income families don’t have that luxury because usually cheaper stuff is mass produced and not good for the environment. Knowing these things means we can take a closer look at the type of strategy and tactics we would use to convert higher income household lawns into natural landscapes.
The main focus here is that we need to change the attitude first, and then behavior will naturally follow if implemented correctly. Our main strategies were:
Implement a new belief.
One tactic is that we need to make green lawns boring and dull. An aesthetically pleasing exterior is a natural one. Another tactic would be to focus on the environmental impact natural lawns can have. Bird watching becomes easier if you have a natural landscape, animals and critters have a home instead of finding one in your basement or car, Lake Michigan which many higher income families desire to live on/near will not be as polluted with chemicals from access water run off.
Remind people of a core belief
Time, wouldn’t you rather focus your time on connecting with family rather than mowing a big lawn once a week? Money, spending money on beautiful plants and ponds rather than gas for a lawnmower. If the neighborhood has an older retired demographic, promote the idea of spending time gardening with grandchildren.
Firstly it is important to note that these are purely ideas and meant to be stand alone. They do not have to connect to one another in order to be successful however they are if we re-thought some of them. Our implementation ideas consisted of three areas for improvement. Our first implementation was to provide a tax break for anyone who does natural landscaping. This would only be if the government would provide that opportunity for our city. However, upon further discussion we thought a better government route would instead be to pitch a campaign about the benefits of natural landscaping for the City of Green Bay to the Mayor in order to make it easier to apply for a permit or change the regulations regarding a front yard aesthetic. Another implementation idea was to partner with local realtors and provide them with an easy guide to give to new homeowners/landlords on transforming a backyard to a natural landscape. Part of the problem is that there are a lot of steps to natural landscaping in GB. Landscaping can be an overwhelming task to take, so knowing having a simple guide with useful information can help people save time and reach their landscaping goals. Our last implementation was to start a community garden to inspire children to want to garden and get interested in plants. This implementation would be using “thinking slow” because focusing on children would be a long term solution. Usually when we are taught a belief very young we are more likely to stick to that belief when we grow older. Targeting youth would ideally pass on this sentiment.
During the project we learned three important lessons revolving not only around landscaping but persuasion and argumentation.
Assessing how money affects an audience is key. This was based on our audience analysis. Our first audience were people who live in suburbs with higher income. People that live in the suburbs are going to have more money to spend and invest in landscaping. Our second audience was people who live in urban neighborhoods with higher income. People that live in urban neighborhoods will likely invest in a more affordable type of landscaping than more expensive options. Our last audience was people who live in urban neighborhoods with lower income. People that live in urban neighborhoods but have lower income will value landscaping differently and invest in cost friendly solutions than people that live in the same neighborhood but have higher income.
The second lesson we learned was that natural landscaping has many different rabbit holes. During our research, we discovered more about landscaping in terms of its history, types of landscaping, landscaping in rural areas vs. urban areas, etc.
Landscaping would benefit the actual City of Green Bay not only the citizens. Landscaping can help keep the environment healthier, reduce potential dangers, and keep the city safer.
Appendix:
Fact list:
“The term comes from the Dutch word landscape, the name given to paintings of the countryside.”
“A natural landscape is made up of a collection of landforms, such as mountains, hills, plains, and plateaus. Lakes, streams, soils (such as sand or clay), and natural vegetation are other features of natural landscapes. A desert landscape, for instance, usually indicates sandy soil and few deciduous trees. Even desert landscapes can vary: The hilly sand dunes of the Sahara Desert landscape are very different from the cactus-dotted landscape of the Mojave Desert of the American Southwest, for instance.”
“A landscape that people have modified is called a cultural landscape. People and the plants they grow, the animals they care for, and the structures they build make up cultural landscapes. Such landscapes can vary greatly. They can be as different as a vast cattle ranch in Argentina or the urban landscape of Tokyo, Japan.”
Bees pollination
“Since 1992, the United Nations has recognized significant interactions between people and the natural landscape as official cultural landscapes.”
The second type of cultural landscape is an organically evolved landscape
The last type of cultural landscape is an associative cultural landscape https://education.nationalgeographic.org/resource/landscape/
Softscaping: trees, flowers, plants, etc.
Hardscaping: paths, statues, patios, etc.
Landscaping became popular during the Renaissance period. People in Italy built outdoor piazzas as well as villas.
Islamic Gardens were known to be places for relaxation instead of walking through. In addition, they were often enclosed from the outside world.
Frederick Law Olmsted, aka the “Father of American Landscape Architecture” was known for designing the U.S. Capitol Grounds and Central Park.
Hanging Gardens of Babylon - earliest known instance of landscape design
Ancient Romans popularized landscape design by bringing it into people’s gardens instead of just people in power.
Not much landscaping was going on during the Middle Ages
Cottage-style landscape design became popular during the 17th century and would be a stepping stone for modern suburban designs
Agricultural development is known to be the origin of landscape design.
Earliest known garden plan dates back to 1400 BCE ancient Egypt
14th century - garden making was popular and well known in Islamic world
Flowers were mostly used in Italian gardens, but they also focused on other aspects of garden such as evergreens
Late 18th century - Europe had access to exotic plants because of trading and travel.
Functional planning - a strategy used during the 20th century by architects to focus on open spaces near factories, offices, etc.
Urban areas - high population density, limited space, and lots going on
One way urban landscaping impacts residential construction is by having to follow rules and regulations set by the city
One challenge urban residential construction poses is when it comes to areas that don’t have enough parking, busy streets, etc.
Suburban landscapes - more space for homes, low pop density, need more transportation, etc.
Suburban sustainability includes energy efficient methods, green spaces, etc.
The goal of rural landscaping is to listen to the local community
Benefits of rural landscaping: subdivisions on farms, community based parks and rec, tourism, etc.
1868 - Frederick L. Olmstead & Calvert Vaux design a park system in New York that would be a stepping stone for landscaping in US
Restrictions on rural landscaping design can come from communities, boards, laws, etc.
Restrictions on rural landscaping design can protect the environment, keep rural areas safe, govern future projects, etc.
Natural lawns improve air quality
Turfgrass - captures carbon and releases oxygen
Lawns can help regulate the temperature by being much cooler
Landscapes can help keep the temperature cool indoors by offering tree shade from the sun or a hedgerow.
A healthy lawn prevents erosion, improves flood control, and matter breakdown
Rocky soil solutions can include: raise beds, rock-soil friendly plants, add topsoil layers
Sloping property solutions can include: adding rock gardens, constructing slope tiers, waterfall, etc.
Drainage solutions can include: add absorbent soil, add landscaped ponds, reworking downspouts, etc.
Too much sun solutions can include: planting trees and plants that grow fast
Works Cited
Barnes, Joseph. “The 4 Environmental Benefits of Healthy Landscapes.” Yellowstone Landscape, 5 September 2017, https://www.yellowstonelandscape.com/blog/environmental-benefits-healthy-landscapes. Accessed 3 May 2024.
“Garden and landscape design - Historical Development.” Britannica, https://www.britannica.com/art/garden-and-landscape-design/Historical-development. Accessed 3 May 2024.
“The History of Landscape Design - Optima.” Optima, Inc., 22 June 2020, https://www.optima.inc/history-landscape-design/. Accessed 3 May 2024.
“How To Solve Common Landscaping Problems.” Landscape Solutions, https://landscape-solutions.net/how-to-solve-common-landscaping-problems/. Accessed 3 May 2024.
le Notre, Andre. “A Brief History of Landscaping.” K&D Landscaping, 28 August 2017, https://kndlandscaping.com/brief-history-landscaping/. Accessed 3 May 2024.
“Planned Natural Landscapes | Green Bay, WI.” City of Green Bay, https://greenbaywi.gov/1356/Planned-Natural-Landscapes. Accessed 3 May 2024.
“Residential construction: urban vs suburban areas.” Wikipedia, https://medium.com/@kvncreatorsconstruction/residential-construction-urban-vs-suburban-areas-d1995ed8c7ed. Accessed 3 May 2024.
Shadow, Simon, and Vivien Bullen. “How Rural Landscape Design Works | HowStuffWorks.” Home and Garden, https://home.howstuffworks.com/lawn-garden/professional-landscaping/rural-landscape-design.htm. Accessed 3 May 2024.
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