Green Infrastructure - Local Implementation
Recommendation Overview
Protect Critical Biodiversity Areas
Support Development of Trails and Greenway Network
Encourage Regional Watershed and Management Planning
Protect Our Dunes and Shoreline
Promote Integration of Green Infrastructure in Urban Settings
Promote Regional Farmland Preservation Local Implementation
Data Sharing
Land use decisions are generally made by over 100 independent units of government throughout the region. Because of this, any regional green infrastructure vision ultimately needs to be embraced by local units of government in order to be implemented. It needs to be a broadly shared vision that connects with the interests of local communities.
Recommendations:
- Develop a "tool kit" for local units of government to support green infrastructure preservation as part of their local planning process.
- Create a regional capacity to assist local units of government with open space planning.
- Create best practice networks among those local units of government who are leaders in green infrastructure planning.
- Support collaboration between local units of government to preserve common ecosystem assets that cross their jurisdictions.
Where Do We Go From Here?
These outlines and recommendations are only the beginning, not an end. It is only the first small step in what will have to be a coordinated effort of regional collaboration over several decades. During this process, we will need to:
- Refine our vision of regional green infrastructure priorities to increasingly specific levels useful to local implementation efforts.
- Commit significant resources (financial, political, technical) to building the capacity of our local units of government to plan for their future open space needs.
- Create a permanent regional infrastructure for open space planning, including regional coalitions and analytical capacity.
- Advocate for changes in state and federal policy that support our regional vision.
- Dedicate financial resources from current and future revenue streams to pay for the protection of our open space assets, whether through acquisition or other means such as conservation easements.