LOVELY PROFESSIONAL UNIVERSITY

School of LSAP Faculty of Planning

Name of the faculty member

Course Code: URP 327 Course Title: Landscape Planning & Design
Academic Task No: CA1 Academic Task Title: Report
Date of Allotment: Date of Submission: 21-08-2022
Student Roll No: Student Reg. No: 12116009
Term: Term III Section:
Max. Marks: 30 Marks. Obtained:
Evaluation Parameters

Learning Outcomes: (Student to write briefly about learnings obtained from the academic tasks)

Declaration:

I declare that this Assignment is my individual work. I have not copied it from any other students’
work or from any other source except where due acknowledgement is made explicitly in the text,
nor has any part been written for me by any other person.

Evaluation Criterion: Rubrics on different parameters

Student’s Signature:

Evaluator’s Comments (For Instructor’s use only)

General Observations Suggestions for Improvement Best part of assignment

Evaluator’s Signature and Date:

Introduction
The world we live in today is always changing, whether it be technology or the land. As these
changes take place, we must adapt to them. Many things begin to change because of this and
society beings to turn into something completely different. One of the most overlooked changes
that take place is that of the environment and landscape. The landscape is one of the most important
parts of our society’s culture and has a great effect on how we live. It seems that nowadays, many
individuals are taking advantage of the land, and none are appreciating it for everything that it is
worth. Many positive things have come from taking advantage of the land, and there have been
many negative things to come because of this. It all depends on how you look at it. One thing is
for sure though, no matter what the case is, the land and environment we live in play a huge part
in each of our everyday lives.

Our landscape is constantly changing, from the Big Bang Theory to the present day. Many different
factors can have a huge impact on the shaping of the land. There are many natural disasters such
as floods, typhoons, earthquakes, hurricanes, and even wildfires. They can change the face of the
landscape and they can change the shape of the landscape. Then there is also the human factor.
Alterations to the existing landscape are done by landscape planning which is a branch of
landscape architecture.

Landscaping

The planning, design, and nurturing of both constructed and natural surroundings are part of
landscape architecture. Landscape architects use their skill sets to enhance human and
environmental health in communities – large and small. Parks, campuses, streetscapes, pathways,
plazas, dwellings, and other initiatives that enrich cities, commercial campuses, and neighborhoods
are planned and designed by landscape architects.

One of the most complex landforms to work with in landscape architecture is deserts. Upon further
classification, cold deserts are more challenging to modify. Deserts are one such landform that is
in general hated by humans since they harbor unfavorable conditions that cannot sustain human
life.

Cold Deserts
Cold deserts are mostly characterized by cold winters with
snowfall and high overall rainfall throughout the winter and
occasionally over summers as well. They occur in the
Antarctic, Greenland, and the Nearctic realm but can be found
scattered throughout the globe in some high-altitude regions.
The average winter is -2 to 4 ℃ and the average summer is 21-
26 ℃. Even the yearly precipitation ranges from 15 to 26 cm
only.

One of the important aspects while considering landscape planning is the vegetation of the region.
The heights of plants in cold deserts vary between 15 cm and 122 cm, depending on the area. Most
plants shed their leaves and have spiny leaves. Ground cover, like lichens, is found to either cove
most of the ground or are widely scattered. Plants found in a cold desert include grasses, shadscale,
and camel’s thorns. This severe limitation of vegetation in cold deserts creates a serious challenge
to landscape planning in cold deserts.

To better understand cold deserts, it’s best to look into some case studies of cold deserts.

Case Studies:

I – Greenland
Greenland is an island country that is part of the Kingdom of Denmark. It is located between the Arctic and
Atlantic oceans, east of the Canadian Arctic Archipelago. Greenland is the world's largest island. Today,
the population is concentrated mainly on the southwest coast, while the rest of the island is sparsely
populated. Three-quarters of Greenland is covered by the only permanent ice sheet outside of Antarctica.
In terms of landform, the entirety of Greenland is a cold desert and which means that a major part of the
island is uninhabited by the human population.
 In terms of vegetation, the island is sparsely populated; plant life
consists mainly of grassland and small shrubs, which are regularly
grazed by livestock. The most common tree native to Greenland is
the European white birch along with Gray-leaf willow, rowan,
common juniper, and other smaller trees, mainly willows.

Greenland's flora consists of

about 500 species of "higher" plants, i.e., flowering plants, ferns,
horsetails, and Lycopodiophyta. Of the other groups, the lichens are
the most diverse, with about 950 species; there are 600–700 species
of fungi; mosses and bryophytes are also found. Most of Greenland's
higher plants have circumpolar or circumboreal distributions; only a
dozen species of saxifrage and hawkweed are endemic.

II – Ladakh, India
Ladakh is the Indian northernmost territory with high passes and deep valleys. It is known for its large-
scale deserts, vast steppes, and unique animal species including snow leopards, Bactrian camels, and yaks.
The word “cold desert” came about because of its desert landscape features and it is a place where there are
very little humidity and extremely cold weather in winters. Ladakh
Cold Desert lies in the Himalayas, on the eastern side of Jammu and
Kashmir, with Karakoram Range in the North and Zanskar mountains
in the South. Ladakh is also known as khapa chan – the land of snow.

Due to its high altitude of 3000m in Kargil to more than 8,000m in

the Karakoram, Ladakh is cold, windy, and dry for most of the year.
At this altitude, the air is so thin that the sun’s heat is intense, even at
very low temperatures. The summer weather is dry and pleasant.
Temperature ranges are from 3 to 35 °C in summer and minimums range from −20 to −35 °C in winter.

In terms of vegetation, it is extremely sparse in Ladakh except along

streambeds and wetlands, on high slopes, and in irrigated places.
About 1250 plant species, including crops, were ever reported from
Ladakh. Scant precipitation makes Ladakh a high-altitude desert with
extremely scarce vegetation over most of its area. Natural vegetation
mainly occurs along water courses and in high-altitude areas that
receive more snow and cooler summer temperatures. Human
settlements, however, are richly vegetated due to irrigation. Natural
vegetation commonly seen along watercourses includes seabuckthorn,
wild roses of pink or yellow varieties, tamarisk, caraway, stinging
nettles, mint, Physochlaina praealta, and various kinds of grass.

III – Arctic Desert

Where the tundra ends, the Arctic desert begins. Unlike its southern counterparts, this desert—the
northernmost natural ecosystem—consists not of endless sand, but of ice and snow that stretches to the
horizon. But surprisingly enough, even though of its tough condition humans live here. However, the human
population in and around the Arctic Desert is low, and hence development-related environmental
degradation is not an issue.

The climate of the Arctic Desert is characterized by long, extremely

cold winters, and short cool summers. In the coldest months,
temperatures can fall up to -50℃. During the warmest months,
temperatures can rise to +10℃. However, throughout most months,
average temperatures range between -20 ℃ and 0℃. The Arctic
Desert receives very little precipitation. Annually, the total amount of
precipitation it receives is below 250mm. The precipitation usually
takes the form of snowfall and slight drizzles. And it usually takes
place in the warmer months.

The most interesting aspect of the Arctic Desert is its sunshine

patterns. During the summer months, the sun doesn’t set at all. In fact,
for a whole 60 days, the sun remains to hover over the horizon. This
means that even at midnight, you can see the sun. These days of
endless sunshine are followed by a period in which the sun doesn’t
rise at all.

Only about 5% of the Arctic Desert has plant cover. This shouldn’t be a surprise given its desert status.
Even then, the majority of the plant life is composed of desert plants like lichens, mosses, and algae. These
are the types of plants that can survive in the extreme conditions of the Arctic. Annually (especially in the
warmer months), a few shrubby plants grow. These shrubs can range between 5 and 100 cm in height. The
common shrubs include sedges, liverworts, grasses, and different varieties of flowers.

It's evident after studying different cold deserts that climatic conditions are really harsh and even the
vegetative cover doesn’t allow for a lot of options. Hence, we have severe limitations to working within
landscape planning and have to incorporate out-of-the-box ideas to work with.

Landscape Techniques in Cold Desert

Man’s artistry has brought forth desert even on damp lands. Its incorporation in modern
landscaping is as easy as the placement of sand, stones, and desert plants – most of which are
merely green or look dry but have their significance. This kind of landscaping is appropriate for
those modern homes that try to achieve a minimalistic look in the exterior yard of its expanse.

Some of the best ideas which can be done for landscaping in deserts are:
1. Huge marble stepping stones act as pathways, surrounded by small desert stones and
different breeds of cacti.
2. Mixing up all the available desert plants such as different breeds of cacti can be an excellent
idea. Mixing plant forms, colors, and size is an easy way of adding visual interest.
3. An entire row or rows of plant beds.
4. Laying pebbles in patterns on the ground creates a massive impact with a low budget.
5. Using bushy plants gives an idea of fluffiness, which is mostly overlooked, and people use
taller and bigger plant species.
6. Lightning helps creates a mood. Adding warm lightning would throw a soft sandy tone to
the surroundings.
7. Adding modern sculptures or ornaments would use up a lot of space as well as define the
garden as well. Ornaments can be stand-alone or can be complemented by adding plants,
pebbles, and other features surrounding them as well.
8. Any existing topography can also be used by layering slopes with different sizes and
varieties of plants, bushes, trees, etc.
9. Color combination is a great way to effectively uplift the essence of the trees planted.
Mixing and matching colors will prove to be a great idea.
10. Another idea is adding the plants in a pattern or definitively arranging them.
11. Cultivation of small palm trees can intensify the look of your space altogether. It is
unnecessary to have ample space.
12. Patios surrounded by plants or contemporary courtyards take your expanse to another level.
Try to add height differences among the plants, which would intensify the beauty together.

Conclusion
Landscaping in Cold Deserts is a challenge for landscape planners and architects. But using
creative thinking skills and by using innovative ideas and out-of-the-box ideas this obstacle can be
easily overcome. There are a wide variety of options that can be incorporated and through such
ideas landscaping in cold deserts can become a sight to withhold.