An assessment of sustainable area certification systems used in the landscape architecture: The example of Sites certification

Throughout history, societies have sustained their existence by utilizing natural resources within ecosystems and adapting to changing lifestyles. The Industrial Revolution, together with accelerated production, technological advancements, rapid urbanization, and population growth, intensified environmental challenges and accelerated energy depletion. Today, the construction sector stands out for its consumption of natural resources, environmental pollution, and contribution to climate change, being one of the main sources of global carbon emissions. This highlights the pressing need for alternative solutions to reduce energy consumption and mitigate environmental impacts. The concept of sustainability has emerged in response to environmental problems caused by human activities, giving rise to the "Green Building" approach. Green building certification systems provide international standards to evaluate the environmental performance of new and existing buildings. Among the most widely used systems, LEED focuses primarily on energy efficiency but does not specifically address the landscape architecture discipline. To fill this gap, the SITES (Sustainable Sites Initiative) certification system was developed, emphasizing landscape architecture and integrating sustainability principles into planning, design, and implementation processes with an innovative perspective. In this study, the SITES certification system was examined within the context of ecosystem services through a literature review and supported with international examples. The study was conducted to evaluate the contribution of the SITES v2 certification system to ecosystem services and to quantitatively assess the extent to which these services are integrated into its criteria. The significance of the study lies in revealing the contributions of this internationally recognized system and providing data to guide similar landscape planning processes in Türkiye. In conclusion, the multi-layered evaluation framework of the SITES certification system underscores ecosystem services and plays a pivotal role in conserving natural resources for transmission to future generations. Accordingly, the effective implementation of this system carries strategic significance for the attainment of sustainability objectives.