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How does Ian McHarg's cluster development strategy preserve more natural land?

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Ian McHarg’s cluster development strategy preserves natural land by concentrating human living centers into compact areas rather than spreading them across a landscape. By grouping residential or commercial structures together, this approach minimizes the physical footprint of development, which allows the surrounding natural environment to remain undisturbed and flourish on its own terms.1

This organizational strategy is a cornerstone of McHarg’s philosophy, as detailed in his seminal work, Design with Nature (1969). By advocating for humans to act as stewards of the environment, McHarg sought to protect the Earth as a self-contained and threatened entity, ensuring that development does not unnecessarily fragment or destroy ecosystems.1