Ecological Planning and Design

Siglo Group works with municipalities, land owners, developers, landscape architects, and architects to ensure that sustainability and ecology are at the forefront of the planning and design process. We offer ecological planning and design services to support the integration of human experience with ecosystem function, incorporating green infrastructure planning, native plant communities, and habitat restoration that takes into account viewsheds, programming, and aesthetic value. For properties with public use such as greenbelts, parks, and museum grounds, our designers look at the visitor experience, making recommendations for the wayfinding system and site interpretation, refining trail systems, and tailoring land management recommendations to minimize disruption for visitors and enhance aesthetic appeal. With a keen eye for balancing aesthetics and functionality, our team collaborates closely with clients to seamlessly integrate ecological principles into designs, resulting in spaces that not only flourish with biodiversity but also enhance the well-being of communities.

We work with clients to enhance a site’s unique ecological fingerprint and create special considerations for the long-term management of the property. Siglo Group works to integrate the native ecology of a site into design and construction wherever possible. A given site is a dynamic system that is seeing ongoing changes in response to climate, land use, and management. We assess possible actions over manageable timeframes that will increase ecological health, enhance user experiences, and work towards long-term management goals.

We believe climate resilience and community resilience are interrelated, and our work strives to empower both people and nature to face the challenges of a changing climate. Climate change continues to impact natural resources availability and quality, impacting equality across landscapes from urban to rural. Our process promotes adaptive management, data-based planning, and innovative site solutions to prevent further environmental degradation. At Siglo Group we have been monitoring changes in the landscape and climate for decades, and continue to update our analysis with the latest data to prevent habitat loss and preserve biodiversity. We specialize in watershed planning and climate mitigation strategies. We advise on soil restoration and the restoration of ecosystems. Our work builds on functioning habitats at multiple scales that provide ecosystem services such as water retention, water quality, carbon sequestration, and healthy soils. The result is a landscape better equipped to adapt to and withstand drought, heavy use, extreme and unpredictable weather events, and other major disturbances.

At Siglo, we offer ecosystem planning and restoration services that reflect people and nature, complementing user experiences with ecological functional landscapes. Whether it's reestablishing native plant communities, amending soils to reduce compaction or improve organic matter, or implementing erosion control measures to address bank failure, we strive to bring back the ecological resilience and vitality that these areas once possessed. Our team of dedicated restoration specialists meticulously assesses each site, devises tailored strategies, and implements scientifically-proven techniques to achieve successful restoration outcomes. We recognize restoration is a long-term vision, and catalyze opportunities for stewardship to achieve our clients’ goals. We see ecological restoration as a healing strategy for place-keeping, serving local communities with beautiful natural spaces, and creating “next level” experiences for people in nature to positively affect their surroundings.

The health of our ecosystems rely on long-term stewardship of the landscape. Natural area management recognizes that people have a role to play to heighten ecological health, create resilient natural areas for the community, and protect biodiversity. We provide Natural Area Management Guidelines to communicate land management practices that improve ecological health of the site and enhance the user experience. These recommendations combine known best practices, site-specific considerations, and ecological restoration principles within an adaptive management framework. The goals that drive our recommendations are project-specific but often include enhanced plant communities and wildlife habitat, improved ecological function, greater resiliency, enhanced user experiences, and greater opportunities for stewardship. Within the reports goals are broken down into implementable, prioritized tasks based on available resources over time such as: soil care, invasive species management, erosion control, planting, and seeding.

As a passionate team of ecological experts, we are dedicated to promoting sustainable and regenerative landscape design practices. We offer services as part of our sustainable land use planning to establish metrics of success at a project’s onset and track landscape improvements through and after construction. We work with clients to set achievable goals on the introduction or enhancement of green infrastructure, stormwater management, biodiversity improvements & species monitoring, floodplain assessment scores, soil health, and restored habitats.

Our comprehensive SITES (Sustainable Sites Initiative) documentation services aim to assist landscape architects in achieving sustainability goals for their projects. Our SITES-certified team can prepare detailed assessments, analysis, and necessary documentation, to streamline processes.

Butler Trail Natural Areas, Kingsbury Commons, Laguna Gloria Natural Areas, Ranch Planning, Barton Creek West Greenbelt Ecological Master Plan, Holdsworth Sustainable Landscape Guidelines, Zilker Natural Resource Inventory