Preserving Open Space

During my job interview for this position, the first question I was asked was why I wanted this job. My answer was that I firmly believed in open space protection and that land use changes were needed through the Commonwealth. However, I also believed that the public and private sector had to do more than limit land development, they had to make more livable communities. It was that belief that first made me interested in urban revitalization.

An article in the Morning Call somewhat touches on the connection between land use preservation and urban revitalization. The article discusses Upper Saucon's efforts to preserve open space. To do so, Upper Saucon is encouraging developers (and potentially changing ordinances) to encourage a more clustered form of development. The proposal works like this: developers promise to preserve half of the land they are developing. As a result, Upper Saucon lets developers increase the density of the properties that they will build. There is something in this proposal for everyone: developers get more houses (and thus make more of a profit) while more open space is protected.

According to the article, 32 communities throughout the state have this type of land use protection. 14 of them are local.

For more information on this type of zoning and a variety of other tools that can be used to protect open space, visit the National Land Trust's website.