17 Design Methods Resources
Zones and sectors are one way of assessing and designing a site, but they are not the only ones. In his book “Permaculture Designer’s Manual” (inactive link as of 05/18/2021), Bill Mollison dedicates a dense 35 page chapter to “Methods of Design”. The links below provide a taste of some of these other design methods, as well as more on the zones and sectors. There are many great books on Permaculture out there, more than anyone could read at this point, but if you are going to go deep into Permaculture, it’s worth it to invest in the “Permaculture Designer’s Manual”. It’s considered the ‘bible’ of Permaculture, and I’ve personally been reading it for 20 years, and still reference it frequently. If you want recommendations on other Permaculture books, here’s author and teacher Toby Hemenway’s Permaculture reading list that are all vetted titles. Please enjoy the links below and get designing!
General Design
- Melliodora: Holmgren Designs
- Design Techniques by Bill Mollison (inactive link as of 05/17/2021)
- Designing For Permaculture by Bill Mollison (inactive link as of 05/17/2021)
- Overview of Design Methods
- Design and Sequence by Tim Murphy (inactive link as of 05/17/2021)
- Overview of Energy Efficient Planning
- Example of the Design Process
- Farm Planning and Land Design via the Regrarians Platform
Design by Needs and Outputs
- A Way of Seeing by Joel Glanzberg (inactive link as of 05/17/2021)
- Quick Overview of Inputs and Outputs
- Nitrogen Fixing Trees
- Starting Your Permaculture Garden
- Djanbung Gardens Integrated Garden
- Pigs: Products and Behaviors to Connect Systems
- Closing the Loop On Waste Using Chickens
- Composting with Worms
Video
Design by Zones and Sectors
- Observing and Creating Microclimates
- Short Guide to WindBreaks
- Landscape for Windbreaks
- Windbreak Characteristics and Design
- Grow More by Paying Attention to Microclimates by Joel Glanzberg (inactive link as of 05/17/2021)
