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Center for Green Space Design Reports Success at Its Second National Conference in Denver

Salt Lake City—May 24, 2002—The importance of developing by design (and not by chance) was the overriding theme of the second national Center for Green Space Design Conference, Space: The Final Frontier.

The conference, recently held in Denver, Colo., was a tremendous success, according to event organizers.

Center for Green Space Design, a not for profit organization dedicated to preserving open space, played host to the conference in May as a forum to proactively discuss open space issues. Conference attendees from across the country met to learn more about Center for Green Space Design's unique approach to open land preservation.

In addition, the conference recognized the finalists of its second national student design competition. Students were required to create a green space design in response to the specific issues, open space resources, needs, desires, and future vision of an actual community or region of their choice. This year there were two groups of first place winners who received a $5,000 scholarship. The winners were Jeffrey Boring, Marcie Diaz and Raysun Goergen of the University of Georgia School of Environmental Design, Institute of Ecology, and Nandagopal Raghunatham and Uday Kumar Vagale of Virginia Polytechnic Institute and State University Department of Landscape Architecture.

“This year’s conference was extremely successful in meeting our goal of sharing green space design approaches and techniques, providing tools for implementing green space designs and cultivating an understanding of the need for and benefits of green space preservation,” said Sumner Swaner, president of Center for Green Space Design. “We had an incredible caliber of people attending the conference, each of whom brought something of value to the table.”

Ultimately, Green Space Design is a proactive approach that addresses community desires for open space and development before development issues dictate the future of a community.

As part of this year’s conference, attendees participated in field trip to and a hands-on design workshop for the town of Parker, Colorado, which has seen how a tremendous growth rate can be the impetus for large-scale open space preservation. The group worked together to discuss and develop a green space design that ties into regional green space systems and respects crucial resources. They were also challenged to design a neighborhood in Parker that respects the natural landscape while accommodating for the housing needs and growth of the town.

Swaner hopes that the Center for Green Space Design will enable communities to manage inevitable growth and development while protecting valuable lands permanently and legally.

“By addressing open space issues proactively, communities can control the manner in which they will grow and develop,” Swaner said. “If a community takes action before it is too late, it can preserve large amounts of open land while respecting individual property rights and without the expense associated with outright land purchases.”

Keynote addresses, from some of the top names in the conservation field, emphasized the importance of accounting for green space preservation as part of the design process in any community. Charles Flink, founder and president of Greenways Incorporated, presented to attendees the wide range of economic and aesthetic benefits associated with community greenways.

“I feel strongly that communities throughout the nation must establish
‘Greenprints for Growth’,” said Flink. "Just as we wouldn't consider building a home without a blueprint, we should not continue to grow our communities without a Greenprint."

“I was astounded by the Center for Green Space Design conference and enjoyed discussing the numerous reasons for green space design and meeting the amazing people who have made it their life's work,” said Brooke Williams, the president of Confluence and a conference speaker. “The step-by-step green space design process that Sumner has created makes green space not only possible, but simple to achieve.”

Center for Green Space Design is an organization committed to the equitable and affordable preservation of valuable community green space. Members include government staff officials, landscape architects, planners, developers, conservationists and concerned citizens.

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For additional information about the Center for Green Space Design and the conference, please contact Christie Oostema at (801) 467-0067

Center for Green Space Design Reports First National Conference a Success March 23, 2001

The first national Center for Green Space Design Conference: Redefining the Legacy of Open Space was a huge success, according to conference organizers. Landscape architects, government leaders, community planners and concerned citizens gathered in Park City, Utah, to discuss the preservation of open lands and to develop a network of support for proactive preservation in community development.

Center for Green Space Design, a non-partisan organization committed to providing a forum for the discussion of open space preservation issues, hosted the conference March 1 – 3, 2001, to formally organize a volunteer delegation and to ratify its charter. Conference attendees from across the country met to learn more about the Center for Green Space Design's unique approach to open land preservation.

The conference also honored the finalists of the organization's first national student design competition. Students were required to develop a green space design plan for Utah's western Summit County, which includes Park City and some of the 2002 Winter Olympic venues. The competition winners, William Mangle and Maggie Macdonald from the University of Michigan School of Natural Resources and Environment, received a $5,000 endowment for their department.

Sumner Swaner, president of the Center for Green Space Design, created the organization to promote preservation by design versus by chance. "This is the first forum of its kind providing affordable design solutions and strategies to communities interested in marrying responsible growth and development with sensible preservation plans," he said.

The Center for Green Space Design approach, which utilizes CEDAR methodology, is based on principles of open space and was developed by Swaner during a three-year research effort. The CEDAR process identifies open lands determined to have cultural, ecological, developmental, agricultural or recreational value. These lands are prioritized before the design process and are incorporated into the development plan of the surrounding community.

Keynote addresses at the conference underscored the importance of making land preservation a part of the design process and were given by some of the most prominent names in the conservation field. William B. Rogers, president of The Trust for Public Land, presented to attendees the long-term, strategic conservation programs some states and communities are launching to guide growth while meeting specific economic goals. "Communities around the country are struggling to get out ahead of growth," Rogers said. "The Center for Green Space Design Conference was a timely and very helpful opportunity to share ideas and experiences and to celebrate what is working 'on the ground' to identify and set aside the lands, resources, and special places that should not be sacrificed to poorly planned growth."

Swaner hopes that Green Space Design will enable communities to manage inevitable growth and development while protecting valuable lands permanently and legally. "Green space design works because it responds to the will of the community, it is equitable and implementable, and it is ultimately affordable and profitable," he said. "Communities and developers benefit from the increased property values that occur as a result of green space preservation."

For more information about the Center for Green Space Design and the recent conference, or if you are interested in receiving conference photos, please contact Christie Oostema at (801) 467- 0067 or visit GSD online at www.greenspacedesign.org.

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National Center for Green Space Design Conference Brings Together Ideas for Preserving Open Space December 5, 2000

Center for Green Space Design, an organization dedicated to preserving open space, plans to take the lead in the national dialogue over open land when it holds its first national conference in March 2001.

Every day, communities across the country are faced with the problem of protecting valuable cultural, ecological, agricultural and recreational resources while accommodating an ever-increasing population. The Center for Green Space Design will step to the forefront of this dialogue by hosting its first national conference.

"GSD is a new organization committed to providing dynamic forums and educational tools to ensure smart design solutions that enable communities to preserve green space intelligently, legally and permanently," said Sumner Swaner, president of The Center for Green Space Design.

The conference, being held March 1-3 in Park City, Utah, will bring together government officials, professional designers, planners and concerned citizens who want to learn practical methods of open space preservation. The conference will feature, among others:

  • Randall Arendt, president of Greener Prospects, presenting Green Space Design as a Tool to Protect Community-wide Green Space Networks
  • Charles Flink, president of Greenways Inc., presenting Greenways as Infrastructure
  • Ed McMahon, director of land use programs for The Conservation Fund, presenting The Dollars and Sense of Open Space Preservation
  • Will Rogers, president of the Trust for Public Land, presenting Greenprints for Growth

The GSD Conference is designed to discuss proven techniques and strategies that will empower communities to permanently preserve cherished open land and delineate areas for responsible growth. "We're going to demonstrate that planners, landscape architects and developers can all work together and benefit from Green Space Design," Swaner said.

For more information about the 2001 National Center for Green Space Design Conference: Redefining the Legacy of Open Space, please visit www.greenspacedesign.org or call (877) GSD-PLAN.

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