The City’s Urban Open Space System; Leverage to Unify the City

The City’s Urban Open Space System is the town’s main tool for unifying the community. It is the primary source of urban beauty, natural resource protection and heritage preservation. The open space system is the holistic amalgam of parks, plazas, public gardens, school grounds, stormwater areas, rivers and lakes all connected with urban recreation trails. When supplemented with effective community design standards and beautification programs for private development, the urban open space system can be leveraged to unify the community. From a financial and political perspective, improving the city’s open space system is one of the most effective tools available for improving the community and providing venues for gatherings and the development of social capital.

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