Indroduction

Across the United States from Georgia to Oregon, green space is being jeopardized through urban sprawl. To counter this, local area governments have passed ordinances that allow for conservation subdivisions. Conventional style subdivision take parcels of land subdivide them into equal land shares and develop these leaving little or no green space. What conservation subdivisions do is take into consideration the most valuable/vulnerable or environmentally sensitive areas and plan around them (Figure 1)

Many advantages occur from this process,

including: protected water quality, protected wildlife habitat, reduced infrastructure construction and maintenance costs, reduced demand for publicly funded green-space, and means for expanding public trails and greenways.

For example, in Georgia, the Georgia Community Green space Program was introduced in 1999 by Governor Barnes, and is currently in its third year of funding (2002). It provides seed funding to help local governments in the rapidly growing areas of the state to permanently protect 20% of their land as green space. Few local governments can afford to purchase 20% of their land base, but conservation subdivisions protect land as development occurs at little or no cost to taxpayers. (Wenger& Fowler, 2002).

However, to be considered for the green space program, there are qualifications and zoning ordinances that the conservatopm subdivision plan must satisfy. The green space must be undeveloped or agricultural, and recreation facilities, such as golf courses and baseball fields, are excluded. The land must also be protected under conservation easements, restrictive covenants, or equivalent legal arrangements.

Additional positive results come from this type of development. Traditional subdivisions often contain vast amounts of impervious surface materials like roads, parking lots, houses and heavily compacted soil. These all alter the hydrologic cycle by generating runoff into streams, while carrying pollutants and petroleum bi-products. Also, levels of water rise, creating bank erosion, sedimentation, and aquatic habitat degradation. By minimizing impervious surfaces, surrounding habitats are preserved and the overall health of the hydrologic cycle is remains more or less unharmed. (Figure 2).

Figure1: Conservation Subdivision Development University of Idaho

Figure 2: Conservation Subdivision Development, University of Idaho

What is a conventional Subdivision?

-All the land is developed into lots for homes, and streets except wetlands and steep slopes

-Doesn't retain the land's character, but develops everything

-Regards open space as a waste of land.

Case Study - The Larking Hill, Pennsylvania Farm

Conservation Subdivision?

This process also results in residential development. However it leaves as much as half of the land as open space. The remainder of the land is divided into smaller lots for homes.

The advantaves of this process are:

1. Retains the land's character and history; doesn't create a checkerboard pattern of developments it like conventional methods.

2. Economical- smaller streets, less utility lines, etc.

3. More desirable of a place to live due to the adjacent open space. This is confirmed by the discovery that 40% of people in golf course developments don't even play golf, but they will pay a premium to have the golf course as adjacent open space.

4. Increases tourism because tourists go to beautiful places.

5. Homes appreciate faster in open space areas.

6. Provides wildlife habitat

7. Environmentally friendly

In the next section several Conservation Subdivision plans will be illustrated on the Larking Hill farm site. First proposal for a Conservation Subdivision is shown in Figure 3.

It would contain:

-54 units, each being one acre or more.

-52% fragmented open space. -Line of houses block rural views from one existing township road.

Figure 3: ConservationSubdivision Plan One

Second proposal is shown in Figure 4.

It would contain:

-46 units-

-26 one acre lots

-16 unit village

-4 units of three farms

-68% open space

-Preserves rural character and working

farmland.

Figure 6: Positive Neighborhood Values

Studies have found that when proper spacing of homes, street widths, and properties are met, neighbors are more friendly and comfortable. Homes should be fairly close to each other without huge yards so that neighbors can converse with each other from their own yards. If the homes are too far apart, the home owners have to go to the edge of their property and maybe even into the street to be able to talk to their neighbor, and that isn't likely to happen. People also like the privacy that trees can create in a condensed space. Below is a good example of proper spacing:

Figure 4: ConservationSubdivision Plan One

(Randall Arendt, Rural By Design, 1994, p. 227)

Creating Inviting, Friendly, Neighborhoods

Third proposal is shown in Figure 5.

It would contain:

-58 units-

-40 one-acre lots

-10 village lots

-8 attached units

-62% Open space

-Also preserves character, and farmland, but additionally provides a trail system. -Provides the most units of land and still allows for plenty of usable open space.

Figure 6: Positive Neighborhood Values

Conservation Subdivision creates compact lots and streets with trees which create spaces along the road and sidewalk. The image in Figure is an example of a residential

area that is pleasant for the pedestrian. However, the example illustrated in Figure 7 shows a street that is too wide with little curb-side interest and poor development of spatial units.

ANVILL PARTNERSHIP GROUP, SANDPOINT

SUZANNE WILLIAMSON, waterfront development

SUZANNE WILLIAMSON, park design (passive recreation & waterfront)

MARK HEAZLE, adaptive use of buildings with focus on depots

RYAN JOHNSON, facade remodeling

JEFF CRAMER, conservation subdivision design

ROBIN DEMMER civic centers & plazas