The Land and Natural Development (LAND) Code: Guidelines for Sustainable Land Development originated as a working paper; a collaboration in the study of forestry and landscape design at Yale University, and was co-authored by Gaboury Benoit, a fellow educator and colleague of Diana Balmori.

It was inspired by a collective and on-going discussion among faculty, students and design professionals as a way to think about guidelines for sustainable land development. It’s first inception was as a Working Paper at the School of Forestry and Environmental Studies (SEFS), and was published in book form in 2007 by Yale University Press, United States.