Landscape design for a green community should be favorable for the ambient ecological environment and for enhancement of both the local climate of a residential area and the environmental quality of life. This paper presents optimization methods for plant landscape design that take account of results of comparisons of noise reduction effects, heat island temperature decreases and effects on ventilation. These methods are based on different plant configurations and various luminous environments, such as exterior sunshine and shaded areas after the simulation of exterior luminous, acoustic and thermal environments of a residential area using the analytic software ECOTECT, CADNA/A, and PHEONICS. Three different types of residential buildings are simulated including a faculty apartment in the Xixi Campus of Zhejiang University, the Huaqing Villa and the Gangwan Jiayuan faculty apartment of Zhejiang University, China, based on green building design theory. In addition, the methods and process flow of landscape design of green residential areas are also described for the improvement of the exterior physical living environment. Landscape design for a green community should be favorable for the ambient ecological environment and for enhancement of both the local climate of a residential area and the environmental quality of life. This paper presents optimization methods for plant landscape design that take account of results of comparisons of noise reduction effects, heat island temperature decreases and effects on ventilation. These methods are based on different plant configurations and various luminous environments, such as exterior sunshine and shaded areas after the simulation of exterior luminous, acoustic and thermal environments of a residential area using the analytic software ECOTECT, CADNA / A, and PHEONICS. Three different types of residential buildings are simulated including a faculty apartment in the Xixi Campus of Zhejiang University, the Huaqing Villa and the Gangwan Jiayuan faculty apartment of Zhejiang University, China, based on green building design theory. In addition, the methods and proce ss flow of landscape design of green residential areas are also described for the improvement of the exterior physical living environment.