A small package with visible reasoning
Use the kit when an early site review needs a coherent account of what is known, what it means and what needs checking before a decision advances. It is for landscape architects, planners, designers, public-agency teams and collaborators assembling a bounded site review.
The output is a coordinated scope, evidence log, verification sheet, graphic brief, QA record and handoff note. You supply the site evidence and professional judgment.
What you get
- Scope brief. Identify the decision, question, extent, exclusions and stop conditions.
- Evidence log. Link source dates, suitability, limitations and permission status to the analysis and graphic.
- Field-check sheet. Record actual observations separately from interpretation; keep incomplete checks pending.
- Graphic brief. Compose a finding with its evidence, reference, legend and uncertainty.
- QA checklist. Check traceability, units, revisions, permissions and recipient understanding.
- Handoff note. Explain supported use, exclusions, open actions and file dependencies.
The download also includes a quick-start README and an optional YAML example connecting project-local IDs. Eight editable files; no datasets, source maps or software plugins.
How to use it
Start with one decision and one site question. Duplicate the folder, complete the scope, then build the evidence and checks around that question. Compose one graphic that makes the reasoning visible. Review the package and test the handoff with its recipient.
Open Markdown in an ordinary text editor and CSV in a spreadsheet. The YAML example is optional; no database, account or special platform is required. Keep your original sources separate and retain their permission/attribution requirements.
See the workflow in real work
The Trolley Barn Park example traces a preliminary internal terrain study through evidence, analysis, graphic and pending verification. It shows why a numerical result can support a better field question without establishing a design recommendation. The completed package shows all six templates filled in from that study, with its field checks still pending.
Limits and review status
This is a review edition of an organizational scaffold, not a validated professional method or a jurisdictional standard. It does not perform analysis or replace source assessment, fieldwork or qualified professional review. It supplies no engineering, grading, drainage, accessibility, compliance or constructability conclusion.
The blank templates are original Field Method material. Founder review of content, release and licensing terms remains pending. Third-party site data and Trolley Barn research figures are not included in the download.
Common questions
Do I need GIS software? No software is needed to complete the templates beyond a text editor or spreadsheet. Any analysis you add needs its own appropriate tools and checks.
Is this a completed site assessment? No. It organizes your evidence and reasoning; it does not fill gaps or make a decision for you.
Can I use a different kind of site evidence? The forms are editable. Adapt the scope and evidence fields to the question, preserve provenance and document where the scaffold does not fit.
Does the kit include the park datasets? No. The example illustrates the workflow; the download contains only the eight template files.