Before buying land!

Don't buy a house for the view.. or don't buy land with an intent to build based on the view...
Buy for the ASPECT!
And then have a space you can go to to enjoy the view.
the higher up the hill you are, the higher your risk during fires.
Consider the sector plan... Protect from sun, winds, check out your fire vulnerability.

How will you use gravity through the landscape based on contours. This image depicts swales..the dark green areas are ditches dug on contour that catch the water that flows downhill, letting it seep into the soil for later use.

What access is there, what driveways and ways in and around the property exist.
Where the house is located in relation to the driveway..
For heavy rain areas, driveways can be dug out with channels to help direct water off the road to prevent erosion where you don't want it. Have the channel at an angle that makes it possible for only one wheel to hit it at a time.
Roads and driveways are water systems.. so treat them as catchments - fragile ones.
Are there alternative energy sources? Creeks, wind, solar sources
Are there small and slow solutions that support each other?
Consider natural disaster..
Where are you in the catchment area?
See what kind of soil you've got... remembering soil changes on keyline.
Reactive clay - shrinks when dry, expands when wet. Can cause big probs if earth bricks are used cos it moves and can crack.
At school, the classroom is made of earthbricks, and because of the soil, under each section of wall, holes 3.3m deep were dug. Reo mesh then concrete were put into the holes to support the foundations so it won't move. 
The foundations need to be the same depth as the height of the building cos earth bricks are such a heavy material.