Land use patterns in Genesee County have a direct impact on the quality of life in our region. Quality of life encompasses numerous areas including: economic prosperity, safety, health, air and water quality, available recreational opportunities and numerous other factors all that contribute to a livable and enjoyable environment. To preserve a livable environment that provides opportunities for future generations to interact with and enjoy their surroundings, we argue it is necessary to change current trends land development. For example:
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• Continued loss of productive farmland to development pressures threatens the economic viability of key elements in the agricultural sector.
• Loss of valuable habitat for indigenous plant and wildlife protection reduces biological diversity.
• Low density urban development produces negative impacts on our water resources – for example reductions in aquifer levels; increased stream bed erosion; loss of wetlands and more tendencies towards flooding during heavy rain fall periods.
• The unique identity of many of neighborhoods, towns and communities is diminished by the expansion of low density, suburban development.
• Urban centers are becoming less attractive locations for individuals and
families to live.
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Ed McMahon, Vice President of the Conservation Fund once stated “ The real issue is not whether to grow, but how and where to grow.” Growth of our region is inevitable, but the way the region grows is the result of land use decisions made on a day-to-day basis. Communities need to reduce the social consequences of land use decisions which lead to loss of services provided by natural systems (air and water quality, flood mitigation), increased costs of services to dispersed development (sewer, water, etc.) and a loss of connection between people and nature.
In an effort to promote well-planned regional land use that minimizes both the social and environmental impacts of growth and development in the Genesee, Lapeer and Shiawassee County areas, GLS Greenlinks was formed by the Flint River Watershed Coalition and the University of Michigan – Flint’s Center for Applied Environmental Research in the fall of 2003. Using a science and community based approach to identify land best suited for conservation and recreation the region, GLS Greenlinks is working to provide a framework or "green network" for resource protection and conservation activities.
For more on the GLS Greenlinks project visit the website at http://www.flintriver.org/greenlinks/ourapproach.html.
What is a “green network”?
Green infrastructure networks include greenspace (undeveloped or developed lands where the surface is permeable to rainfall and groundwater recharge - land is green with trees, grass, or even weeds), and greenways (corridors of protected open space, often following natural land and water features, that are managed for conservation and recreation purposes). Used as a noun, green infrastructure refers to an interconnected green space network which including natural areas and features, public and private conservation lands, working lands with conservation values, and other protected open spaces. Green infrastructure is planned and managed for the natural resource values it provides and for the associated benefits it confers to people. A well planned, managed, and maintained green infrastructure network in Genesee, Lapeer, and Shiawassee counties can provide many ecological, social, and economic benefits:
• Enriched habitats and biodiversity
• Maintenance of natural landscape processes
• Cleaner air and water
• Improved health
• Better connections to nature and better sense-of-place
• Increased property values
• Lower public infrastructure costs
• Space for outdoor recreation
• Connection between people and nature
• Guided growth and development
The goal of GLS Greeenlinks is “To have a Green Infrastructure Network that connects our communities to the area’s natural and cultural resources for the recreation, transportation, education, and health benefits of its citizens”.
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