Plant Selection for Harsh Urban Environments in the Phoenix/Tempe Area

This project seeks to provide Landscape Architects practicing in the Phoenix/Tempe area of Arizona with a guide to assist with the process of selecting plants for harsh urban environments in the region. The first step was an online survey of professionals in the area, to determine which urban conditions were harsh, followed by interviews with consenting survey respondents to determine why each condition was harsh, which plants belong in it, and what sites in the study area are good examples of well-planted areas in harsh conditions. The final product is an essay (detailing the research methods and findings of the study), a set of case studies that visually document some of the sites suggested by survey respondents, and a set of plant lists for each harsh urban situation.