# Mapping Water, Access, and Comfort

Part of the Landscape Architecture Merit Badge Digital Resource Guide: [Introduction & Overview](https://merit-badge.university/merit-badges/landscape-architecture/guide/index.md)

*4. Studying and Redesigning Space*

> **4.** After obtaining permission from the appropriate authority, look at and study a place of worship, school grounds, or a public building and identify where most people arrive by bus or car. Then do the following:

This requirement turns you into a field investigator and a beginner designer. You will measure an arrival area, map what is already there, study how water moves, and then propose changes that make the place safer and more comfortable.

This page covers three connected tasks:

- **4a**: make a measured site plan of the main entry area
- **4b**: map how water drains across that plan
- **4c**: redesign the area to improve comfort and safety

## Requirement 4a

> **4a.** Using a measuring tape, measure and draw the main site entry and its nearby area. Define the scale of your drawing. Be sure to include the driveway and sidewalk or path that leads to the building's main entry. Indicate any sidewalks, structures, trees and plants, lights, drains, utilities, or other site furnishings within the study area. Make two copies of this plan and save the original, then do 4(b) and 4(c) using the copies.

A site plan is a top-down view of a place. It does not need to look fancy, but it must be clear and accurate enough that someone else could understand the layout.

Start by choosing a study area that is large enough to show how people arrive and move toward the building, but small enough that you can measure it carefully. Include the drop-off or parking edge, the main walk, and the immediate area near the entrance.

### A Good Measuring Process

1. Pick one baseline, such as the edge of a sidewalk or building wall.
2. Measure major lengths first: the walk, driveway width, planting bed edges, and distance to the door.
3. Add fixed objects next: poles, drains, benches, signs, trees, utility boxes, and lights.
4. Label features as you go so nothing gets forgotten later.
5. Write the drawing scale clearly, such as 1 inch = 5 feet.

Video: [Create Your Own Landscape Design | Site Survey (video)](https://youtu.be/6fLp1fWKzjQ?si=9c4WHFrHoS30ltSk)

**What Your Original Site Plan Should Show** — These are the features your counselor will expect to see

- [ ] **Arrival areas**: bus drop-off, parking edge, or driveway approach
- [ ] **Main pedestrian route**: sidewalk or path to the front entry
- [ ] **Structures**: building edge, walls, canopies, signs, fences, or railings
- [ ] **Planting**: trees, shrubs, lawn panels, beds, or ground covers
- [ ] **Site furnishings**: benches, lights, trash cans, bike racks, or planters
- [ ] **Water features**: drains, ditches, low points, or visible slopes
- [ ] **Utilities and obstacles**: hydrants, utility boxes, poles, or grates

## Requirement 4b

> **4b.** On one copy of your site plan, use directional arrows to indicate where the water drains across the site, where ditches occur, and where water stands for a longer period of time.

This step is about seeing a site the way water sees it. Rain does not care where you hoped people would walk. It follows gravity. If the grading is poor, water can make entries muddy, icy, slippery, or inaccessible.

Look for clues even if it is not raining during your visit:

- staining on pavement or walls
- eroded mulch or exposed roots
- sediment near curbs or drains
- low spots in turf
- cracked edges where runoff cuts across soil
- moss or damp areas that stay wet longer than the rest of the site

Draw arrows to show likely flow direction. Mark any ditch, swale, drain, or basin. If you know where puddles form after storms, label those too.

> **Tip**
>
> If possible, visit the site after a rainstorm or ask a staff member where puddles, ice, or muddy spots usually appear. Drainage problems are much easier to understand when you can tie them to real experience.

> **Be Prepared! Not sure where the water goes?**
>
> Use simple clues to make your best judgment:
>
> - **Check slope** by watching which way pavement tilts.
> - **Find drains and curb openings** because runoff usually heads toward them.
> - **Look for worn channels in mulch or soil** where water repeatedly cuts through.
> - **Notice plant stress** because areas that stay soggy or overly dry often affect plant health.
>
> You do not need a perfect engineering drainage map. You do need a thoughtful, evidence-based explanation of how water moves across the site.

## Requirement 4c

> **4c.** Decide how you can make the place safer and more comfortable for those using it. Redesign the area on another copy of the plan. You may want to include new walks, covered waiting areas, benches, space-defining plantings of trees and shrubs, and drainage structures.

Now you get to think like a problem solver. Your redesign should respond to the issues you observed, not just add random features. If people stand in the rain near the curb, a covered waiting area may make sense. If runoff crosses the main path, you may need grading changes, a drain, or a rain garden. If the entrance is hard to find, a wider walk, better planting frame, or clearer lighting might help.

A strong redesign usually improves several things at once:

- **safety** by reducing conflicts between cars and people
- **comfort** through shade, shelter, seating, and smoother circulation
- **clarity** by making the arrival sequence easier to understand
- **drainage** by moving or capturing runoff more effectively
- **appearance** by organizing plants and site elements into a more unified whole

### Ideas You Might Consider

| Problem you observed | Possible redesign move |
|---|---|
| People crowd near the curb with no shelter | Add a covered waiting area and bench seating |
| Walkway is too narrow or indirect | Widen or realign the path |
| Parking dominates the arrival view | Add trees, planting islands, or screening shrubs |
| Water crosses the path | Add grading improvements, drains, or a bioswale |
| Entrance is hard to read | Use paving emphasis, entry trees, lighting, or signage |
| No place to pause | Add benches in shade near but not blocking circulation |

![Before-and-after site plan showing a narrow wet entry transformed with a wider walk, shelter, trees, and bioswale](https://ik.imagekit.io/doulacoop/tr:w-800/mbu-assets/merit-badges/landscape-architecture/guide/entry-redesign-before-after?v=f1acf15a)

> **Safety First!**
>
> When proposing changes, keep accessibility and visibility in mind. Do not place benches, shrubs, or signs where they narrow walking routes, block sightlines, or create hidden corners near an entry.

## How to Explain Your Redesign

Your counselor will want to hear why you changed what you changed. Use a sentence pattern like this:

- "I moved this walkway because..."
- "I added shade trees here because..."
- "I marked runoff arrows to show that water currently..."
- "I placed a bench here because users need a place to wait without blocking the entrance..."

That kind of explanation shows design thinking, not just drawing skill.

This requirement also connects strongly to [Req 2](https://merit-badge.university/merit-badges/landscape-architecture/guide/req2/). The same ideas are here again: entry sequence, paths, comfort, planting function, and drainage. The difference is that now you are the one proposing improvements.

[EPA Green Infrastructure at Schools](https://www.epa.gov/green-infrastructure/what-green-infrastructure): Introduces practical drainage and stormwater ideas such as rain gardens, permeable surfaces, and planted areas that can improve school and civic sites.

If you can explain the existing site clearly and defend your redesign decisions, you are doing real introductory landscape architecture work. The final requirement asks you to explore where those skills could lead as a career.

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- Previous: [Choosing Trees, Shrubs, and Ground Covers](https://merit-badge.university/merit-badges/landscape-architecture/guide/req3/index.md)
- Next: [Exploring Landscape Architecture Careers](https://merit-badge.university/merit-badges/landscape-architecture/guide/req5/index.md)