OPEN SPACE    

 

Public and private open spaces are a significant environmental, aesthetic, economic, and recreational value to Northern Lower Michigan.  Throughout the year, local citizens and visitors enjoy the benefits afforded by both natural and designed open spaces.  The variety of open spaces in the ten counties includes miniparks and plazas in urban environs and expansive fields and forests in rural areas, as well as neighborhood parks, sports fields, trails and riverwalks, nature preserves, wetlands, floodplains, private yards, public gardens, and tree-lined streets.

While some open spaces (e.g., orchards, vineyards, fields, valleys) are of scenic value, community members and developers alike recognize the economic value of our region’s open space.  Calculating the exact value of open space in economic terms may be difficult; however, area residents, as well as tourists, recognize open space as one of Northern Lower Michigan’s most distinctive and valuable features.
 

  


 

Economic Value
Preserving and incorporating a site’s natural features into usable open spaces enhances a development’s identity and increases the value of neighboring properties.  Economic studies repeatedly reveal how residential and commercial properties generally result in higher market values when in close proximity to open spaces – whether golf courses, forests, or parks.

Environmental Value
Open space is an invaluable ecological resource which contributes to the environmental health of our region.  Open space provides habitats for indigenous and migratory species.  It facilitates groundwater recharge, as well as a reduction in stormwater runoff as precipitation infiltrates through plants and the soil.  An open space’s vegetation also contributes to air quality and counters heat sinks created by intensely developed areas.

Aesthetic Value
Open spaces enhance streetscapes and civic life.  When defined by buildings and streets, public commons (e.g., greens, courtyards, squares) can highlight buildings that front common areas and serve as a foundation for a community’s social life.  Dedicated open spaces which are kept natural are also valuable public assets and contribute to the visual character of Northern Lower Michigan.

 

Key Points:

  • Open space should be one of the first elements considered when designing a site rather than the leftover, non-buildable lands. Buildings and the adjacent open spaces are interdependent and integral elements of site design. Even on small parcels of land, open spaces of sufficient size to accommodate human activity can be created through careful siting of buildings and appropriate landscape design.
  • Preserving open space often significantly increases property values of residential and commercial developments.
  • Establishing and protecting contiguous open spaces should be encouraged, especially in areas adjacent to environmentally sensitive lands and lands already protected.
  • Consider the protection of riparian ecosystems through the establishment of stream corridors which could connect other environmentally sensitive areas and provide valuable wildlife habitat.
  • Open space of sufficient size to preserve natural landscapes and be usable for multiple purposes can be achieved by clustering building and locating a site’s open space next to that of an adjacent property’s. Refer to Critical Design Practices: Conservation Planning for more information.