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Low Impact Design (LID) refers to managing stormwater runoff at the source (on-site) using green infrastructure techniques. Keeping water on-site reduces the need for much larger and more costly management systems. It also helps prevent flooding by reducing the amount of water that enters surface waterways during flash flood events. Conventional stormwater management uses a … Continue reading What Is Low Impact Design (LID)?...

One of the first steps of every project is analyzing the site’s existing environmental conditions. Some of these conditions are regulated by city, state and/or federal agencies and can potentially kill your project before it ever begins. Too many existing protected or heritage trees may prevent a building from being able to fit on site. … Continue reading Environmental Constraints Aren’t Always Bad...

As land planners, 7gen starts every project looking at the opportunities and constraints provided by the land along with the related regulating government authorities’ (RGA’s) codes and ordinances. The land’s terrain plays a major role in the project’s design when these opportunities and constraints are considered along with the RGA’s codes and ordinances. Extreme flat … Continue reading Working with Terrain...

Nearly every community in the Houston region will include a water plant, wastewater plant, lift stations and detention ponds. So why is it that these necessary components are so negatively visible in some communities — and almost invisible in others? In rare instances, some of these components actually work to beautify and enhance communities! So what’s the … Continue reading Plant Facilities and Detention...

There are many occasions in which a first meeting with a developer is spent processing the numerous reasons a plan (that was initially done by the engineers or architects) is not meeting the needs of the developer’s project vision and goals. Many developers attempt to minimize costs during the due diligence phase by having these … Continue reading Why You Should Hire a Professional Planner...

So, you have been looking for that great piece of property for your next, or maybe your first, Master-Planned Community (MPC) to develop. How do you know which one to pull the trigger on? There are many things to consider of course, and of those, the following five elements have continued to be either an … Continue reading Consider This Before Starting A Master-Planned Community...