Abstract
Although our relationship with the natural environment has changed as a result of modernization, growth, and development, the natural environment in areas of “open space” continues to provide communities with many economic, environmental, and social benefits that have been well documented (Albrecht, 1993;Center for the Study of Law and Politics, 1991;Dwyer et al.1991;National Park Service, 1992). In addition to these well-known benefits, the planned use of open space helps communities absorb change by creating special places and preserving structured and shared symbols such as historic landscapes (Greider and Garkovich, 1994). By providing a framework for communities, the local autonomy of a community is defined and reinforced through the planned use of open space, increasing the psychological identification with a locale and making people feel more comfortable and at-home (Bender, 1978;Hawley, 1950; Warren, 1972). Frederick Law Olmstead wrote that parks and open space are benign magnets for social democratization and recreation (Wilson, 1989). The green infrastructure of open space provides opportunities for people to generalize across interest lines and helps create a sense of community, one characterized by shared spatial experiences. It creates an element of social equality because as an equalizer open space offers people regardless of background or social and economic status the same opportunities. Open space improves the quality of life and environment and contributes to economic and social life and is an important factor in the development of healthy and sustainable communities. In order to increase the quality of life and environment in our communities, it is important that the costs and benefits provided by the natural environment through open space be understood and considered through a comprehensive land use planning process. But what is a human community?
This is a preview of subscription content, log in via an institution to check access.
Access this chapter
Tax calculation will be finalised at checkout
Purchases are for personal use only
Preview
Unable to display preview. Download preview PDF.
References
Albrecht, J., 1993 Urban Forestry: A Bibliography, International Society of Arboriculture, Savoy, IL.
Arendt, R., 1994 Rural by Design American Planning Association, Chicago, IL.
Bender, T., 1978 Community and Social Change in America Rutgers Press, New Brunswick, NJ.
Bode, C., 1979 The Portable Thoreau (Carl Bode, ed.), Penguin Books, New York.
Bouton, J., Horton, J., Leary, E., and Sinclair, S., 1991 Planning for the Future Forest: A Supplement to the Planning Manual for Vermont Municipalities University of Vermont Extension Service, University of Vermont, Burlington.
Center for the Study of Law and Politics, 1991 Building Sustainable Communities: Open Space Preservation and Acquisition San Francisco, CA.
Chaplin, F., and Kaiser, E., 1979 Urban Land Use Planning 3rd ed., University of Illinois Press, Urbana.
Christenson, J., and Robinson, J. (eds.), 1989 Community Development in Perspective Iowa State University Press, Ames.
Cottrell, L., 1983, The competent community, in New Perspectives on the American Community (R. Warren and L. Lyon, eds.), Dorsey Press, Homewood, IL, pp. 401–412.
Davidoff, P. and Reiner, T., 1962, Choice theory of planning J. Am. Inst. Plann. May 103–119.
Dwyer, J., Schroeder, H., and Gobster, P., 1991, The significance of urban trees and forests: Towards a deeper understanding of values J. Arboric. 17(10):276–284.
Eisner, S., and Gallon, B., 1993 The Urban Pattern: City Planning and Design 6th edition Van Nostrand Reinhold, New York.
Falk, L., Harper, S., and Rankin, E., 1992 The Northern Forest Lands Study of New England and New York USDA Forest Service, Rutland, VT.
Freudenburg, W., and Keating, K., 1985, Applying sociology to policy: Social science and the environmental impact statement Rural Sociol. 50(4):578–605.
Gramling, R., and Freudenburg, W., 1992, Opportunity, threat, development, and adaptation: Toward a comprehensive framework for social impact assessment Rural Sociol. 57(2):216–234.
Granovetter, M., 1973, The strength of weak ties Am. J. Sociol. 78(6):1360–1380.
Greider, T., and Garkovich, E., 1994, Landscapes: The social construction of nature and environment Rural Sociol. 59(4):578–605.
Harper, J., and Propst, L., 1990 Creating Successful Communities: A Guidebook to Growth Mangement Strategies Island Press, Washington, DC.
Hawley, A., 1950 The Changing Shape of Metropolitan America: Decentralization since 1920 Free Press, Glen-co, IL.
Hillery, G., 1955, Definitions of community: Areas of agreement Rural Sociol. 20(2):111–125.
Jackson, J., 1956 Landscape Berkeley, CA.
Kaufman H. 1959, Toward an interactional conception of community Social Forces 38(1):8–17.
Lembeck, S., 1993, Community planning, in An Ecosystem Approach to Urban and Community Forestry: A Re-source Guide (G. Mason, ed.), USDA State and Private Forestry, Northeastern Region, Radnor, PA, pp. 23–31.
Lubka, J.1982 The Role of the Forester in Land-Use Planning USDA Forest Service, State and-Private Forestry, Northeastern Area, Radnor, PA.
McHarg, I., 1992 Design with Nature John Wiley & Sons, New York.
Miller, R., 1988 Urban Forestry: Planning and Managing Urban Greenspaces Prentice-Hall, NJ.
National Park Service, 1992 Economic Impacts of Protecting Rivers Trails and Greenway Corridors River Trails and Conservation Assistance Program, National Park Service, U.S. Department of Interior
Washington, DC. Rost, J. 1991 Leadership for the Twenty-first Century Proeger, Westport, CT.
USDA Forest Service, 1993 An Ecosystem Approach to Urban and Community Forestry: A Resource Guide USDA State and Private Forestry, Northeastem Region, Radnor, PA.
USDA Forest Service, 1994 An Ecosystem-based Approach to Urban and Community Forestry: An Ecosystem Managers Workbook USDA State and Private Forestry, Northeastern Regino Radnor, PA.
Warren, R., 1972 The Community in America 2nd ed., Rand McNally, Chicago.
Warren, R., 1977 New Perspectives on the American Community: A Book of Readings Rand McNally, Chicago.
Wilkinson, K., 1991 The Community in Rural America Greenwood Press, New York.
Wilson, W., 1989 The City Beautiful Movement Johns Hopkins University Press, Baltimore, MD.
Author information
Authors and Affiliations
Editor information
Editors and Affiliations
Rights and permissions
Copyright information
© 2000 Springer Science+Business Media New York
About this chapter
Cite this chapter
Elmendorf, W.F. (2000). Community Planning and the Natural Environment. In: Kuser, J.E. (eds) Handbook of Urban and Community Forestry in the Northeast. Springer, Boston, MA. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-1-4615-4191-2_5
Download citation
DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/978-1-4615-4191-2_5
Publisher Name: Springer, Boston, MA
Print ISBN: 978-1-4613-6880-9
Online ISBN: 978-1-4615-4191-2
eBook Packages: Springer Book Archive