LANDFORM GRADING AND SLOPE EVOLUTION

To accommodate transportation corridors and residential developments in steep terrain, some grading is required. The manner in which grading is planned and carried out and the resulting topography that are created affect the aesthetic appeal of the development, the long-term stability of the slopes, and the effectiveness of landscaping and revegetation efforts. Conventionally graded slopes are essentially planar slope surfaces with constant gradients. Most natural slopes, though, consist of complex landforms covered by vegetation that grows in patterns that are adjusted to hillside hydrogeology. The authors analyze slope evolution models and determine that a planar slope is often not an equilibrium configuation. Landform-graded slopes, however, mirror stable natural slopes and are characterized by a range of shapes, including convex and concave forms. Downslope drains either follow natural drop lines in the slope or are hidden from view in swale-and-berm combinations. Landscaping plants are patterned as nature, not randomly or in artificial configurations. The minimal increase in the costs of engineering and design for landform grading are offset by improved visual and aesthetic impact, quicker regulatory approval, decreased hillside maintenance and sediment removal costs, and increased marketability and public acceptance.

• Availability:
  • Find a library where document is available. Order URL: http://worldcat.org/issn/07339410
• Corporate Authors:

  American Society of Civil Engineers

  345 East 47th Street
  New York, NY  United States  10017-2398
• Authors:
  • Schor, H J
  • GRAY, D H
• Publication Date: 1995-10

Language

• English

Media Info

• Features: Appendices; Figures; References;
• Pagination: p. 729-734
• Serial:
  • Journal of Geotechnical Engineering
  • Volume: 121
  • Issue Number: 10
  • Publisher: American Society of Civil Engineers
  • ISSN: 0733-9410

Subject/Index Terms

• TRT Terms: Aesthetics; Environmental impacts; Evolution; General surface features of the earth; Grading (Earthwork); Landscape architecture; Mathematical models; Shape; Slope stability; Slopes; Vegetation
• Uncontrolled Terms: Configurations; Grading; Landforms; Models
• Subject Areas: Design; Environment; Highways; Planning and Forecasting; I21: Planning of Transport Infrastructure;

Filing Info

• Accession Number: 00711634
• Record Type: Publication
• Files: TRIS
• Created Date: Sep 30 1995 12:00AM