Designing Low-Carbon Gardens: A Sustainable Approach in Landscape Architecture

This manuscript addresses the challenge of designing low-carbon and climate-neutral landscapes. While gardens and green spaces are commonly perceived as environmentally beneficial, they may generate significant greenhouse gas emissions throughout their life cycle. Despite the widespread application of carbon footprint assessment in building design, its integration into landscape architecture remains limited. The aim of this study is to systematize the concept of the garden carbon footprint and to develop a coherent framework for its evaluation. The research adopts a conceptual synthesis approach based on an interdisciplinary literature review, supported by a simplified Life Cycle Assessment (LCA) methodology. A component-based model is proposed, integrating embodied carbon, operational emissions, and carbon sequestration. The results demonstrate that the carbon performance of designed landscapes varies significantly depending on design strategies and management approaches. Importantly, the findings confirm that climate neutrality may be possible under specific conditions, particularly at larger spatial scales. The proposed framework contributes to the integration of carbon footprint assessment into landscape design processes and supports the development of low-emission, climate-resilient solutions.