Although this may contribute to reducing irrigation demand, this does not help with achieving the credit, as landscaped area in the both the baseline and design case has to be the same. Although decreasing vegetated space may be a sensible option for some projects, it is not allowed to contribute to this credit. It would not match the intent of this and other credits for LEED to include an incentive to reduce vegetated area.
Question
Does installing artificial turf, pavers, or hardscape in place of landscape plantings improve your chances of getting the credit?
Credits