The past decade has seen a dramatic new view of land conservation. Green spaces, formerly seen by urban developers as undeveloped commodities or pleasant amenities, are being recognized as economic boons and essential public health.

“Greenspace adds value to property,” said Ed T. McMahon, senior resident fellow at Urban Land Institute.
“Why do we have 16,000 golf courses in America? he asked. “Because developers figured out that a house next to a golf course could sell for more money than a house that wasn’t next to a golf course… [But] the vast majority of buyers in golf course developments in America don’t play golf. You ask them, ‘Well why’d you buy the house?’ And they say, ‘Oh, we like the view across the fairway.’”

His point is that it costs millions of dollars to build and maintain golf courses and comparatively nothing to leave the natural open space. New strategic green planning could replace expensive "golf course developments" with "conservation developments."

Other examples of this smart planning, he said, are planting trees that reduce summer use of air conditioning, green roofs (roofs covered in vegetation), and putting parks (not buildings) in river flood zones where buildings would eventually be washed away.

McMahon said that now smart conservationists and urban planners are looking at long range plans to upgrade and expand green infrastructure and there are systematic efforts to install green infrastructure across the U.S.
McMahon said that America's obesity epidemic has partly fueled construction of recreation areas near housing developments and water quality is also forcing planners to see the value in preserving green space.

While ultimately cheaper in the long term, green infrastructure can cost more in the short term, said Peter Harnik, director of the Center for City Park Excellence with the Trust for Public Land. Buying rain barrels for water catchments at $100 to $200 apiece, installing solar collectors, and green roofs all have fairly high initial costs. The payoff, he said, comes from reduced electricity bills.

What Is Green Infrastructure?

According to the Conservation Fund, green infrastructure is “a network of natural areas and open spaces—woodlands, wetlands, trails and parks—that conserves ecosystems, helps sustain clean air and water,” and “a way to identify the best lands to accommodate development and infrastructure while also considering the best lands to conserve.”

This rather loosely defined term also distinguishes manmade “grey” infrastructure from the natural infrastructure systems.

Previously, America’s conservation was “haphazard,” said McMahon, conservation was well-intentioned but disconnected from an overarching framework. Green infrastructure is a lot about “creating a strategic plan for land conservation.”

McMahon is the author of several books on green infrastructure, and is currently working on one more. “Conservation Communities, Creating Value with Nature and OpenSpace” will be published later this year.