Suburban dynamics of lawn care

In the face of a growing mass of evidence that implicates landscape maintenance practices in deleterious ecological effects, people's preference for the residential lawn aesthetic persists. What's more, alternatives to the residential lawn are typically met with resistance by neighbors. Mixed methods research performed in Peachtree City, Georgia; suggests that homeowners maintain their residential landscapes to signal pride and respect to neighbors and potential homebuyers. Important characteristics of this signal are an appearance of consistency, flow and balance. In order for residential lawn alternatives to be accepted, individuals and community designers alike must preserve these characteristics and promote the homeowner's ability to communicate desirable signals.