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Last fall, the Community Open
Space Partnership (COSP) embarked on the next phase of
an ambitious and exiting new initiative. COSP hosted a
series of three forums, one in each of the state’s most
populous regions: the Fox Valley-Green Bay area,
south-central Wisconsin, and southeast Wisconsin. Each
forum was attended by about 50 participants, including
public and private planners, parks staff, citizen
leaders, natural resource professionals, and others.
Regional event-planning teams invited participants with
an interest in moving beyond “business as usual” in
open-space planning.
A primary purpose of these
events was to build a broader coalition across the state
thinking about land-use issues in terms of “green
infrastructure” – the network of open spaces that
sustains natural systems, enhances economic vitality,
connects people to the natural world, and increases
individual and community wellbeing.
Planning for green
infrastructure builds exciting, comprehensive, and
community-driven visions for the un-built environment.
It focuses on creating a continuous physical network
rather than a collection of independent parcels, and it
seeks to provide for a diversity of user experiences
beyond traditional sports- or nature-based outdoor
recreation. Finally, green infrastructure planning
utilizes innovative funding solutions, including special
financing districts and public-private collaboration.
Through the forums and other
work, COSP is poised to create a strong and effective
voice for the importance and relevance of green
infrastructure in making our communities vibrant and
healthy – economically, socially, culturally, and
ecologically.
Participants in the three forums
considered the benefits of land-use planning using a
green-infrastructure approach, and methods for mapping
opportunities that retrofit built-out areas with
additional green infrastructure. They also discussed the
challenges they face as individuals and as communities,
the strengths they can build upon, and the strategies
they can use in creating and improving green
infrastructure in urban and growing communities.
The participants identified
numerous key directions for upcoming COSP work. These
included advocating for new state funding programs,
taking a more active role in grassroots advocacy and
education, creating a Governor’s Council on Green
Infrastructure, and encouraging cities to implement
green-infrastructure solutions to address stormwater
management, social issues, and economic challenges.
Forum participants also stressed
the importance of creating a document that succinctly
describes COSP’s vision, makes the case for green
infrastructure, and reviews best practices. This
document, “Green Infrastructure for Tomorrow: A
Statewide Plan for Open Space Reinvestment” (GIFT), will
begin to articulate regional green infrastructure goals
and recommend policy strategies for achieving these
goals. Draft chapter outlines, as well as draft chapters
(as they are completed), for the GIFT Plan are
available here.
A Summary Document of these
Forums has been prepared and is available to
everyone who was invited to attend as well as to
interested others in pdf format
here. If you would like to receive a
hard copy of this Summary Document by mail, please contact
608-255-9877. In conjunction
with the Forums was the presentation of the First Annual
Green Ribbon Awards. More information about
these events and the commendable winners can be found
here. |
