Spatial scales and their attributes 25lot at an extremely fine scale (Matlack 1993). Design and planning solutions here
can be at the neighborhood, housing-development, and house-lot scales.
House lots
Ahouse or building (p)lot exists in context. It may be an opening sur-
rounded by wooded lots, a tiny woods or oasis surrounded by open lots, a spot
along a distinct gradient say from uphill to downhill, a location in a major cor-
ridor such as for snowmelt water flow or migrating elk (Cervus), or simply repre-
sentative of the surrounding lots (Forman1995). Planning and design starts with
such context. Location of the lot relative to road network, shopping, schools, and
so on further highlights the importance of context.
Within the lot, a building is often located partly based on cultural tradition,
regulatory setbacks from the street or lot-lines, space needed for a septic system,
theproximity to wetlands or a flood zone, and so forth. The building’s design
and outer surface provides few or many microhabitats for a rich assortment of
species, from lichens and mosses to lizards and birds (Kellert2005). A driveway
and various other structures may be present, and their location is extremely
important, ecologically, for the house lot.
As at broader scales, the patch and corridor approach to understanding and
designing the lot is valuable. Often wooded corridors are used, e.g., for privacy
along side-lot-lines, as foundation plantings along a wall, to separate sections of
ayard,andalongaback-lot-line (Owen 1991 ). Theback-lot-linemay be especially
important for biodiversity since, if far enough behind the building, it is likely
tobe least manicured and most natural. Also the back-lot-line may be aligned
with those of surrounding lots, which provides a corridor for wildlife movement
through the housing area. Open corridors for unobstructed views are common in
front to see up and down a street, and in back for views to the back-lot-line and
even to the sides. These corridors provide fine-scale routes for certain wildlife
movement.
Numerous small different patches, as in the city park example above, provide
habitat heterogeneity for many common species. Alternatively a somewhat-large
open patch might attract some open-country species that otherwise would be
absent. If it is a well-used lawn, the species will be ephemeral, but if it is a seldom-
cut meadow, some species may become resident. Analogously, a somewhat-large
wooded patch may attract and provide habitat for some uncommon woodland
species (Goldsteinet al. 1981 ,Forman1995). Thus a clump of trees, e.g., in a back-
lot-line corner, may attract some species. A large shrubby patch provides both
food and cover for ground animals and will normally attract a relatively different
set of species. Trees with shrub cover beneath is a still-better combination, also
because it provides darker shade and moister conditions in the center at ground