Best Nature-Friendly Places to Live in the U.S. Announced Today

Land use planning professional authors book on how protecting and enhancing natural landscape envigorates local economies.

Published June 24, 2005

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WASHINGTON, D.C. – The best nature-friendly places to live in the United States were announced today in a new book published by Island Press.

Entitled Nature-Friendly Communities, the book highlights nineteen communities that lead the nation in safeguarding local landscapes, natural resources and wildlife. It is the first resource of its kind to provide a step-by-step guide to help government officials and planners protect open space and natural areas while promoting economic growth.

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Duerksen's research shows that areas with well-maintained greenways encourage residents to excercise more often, boosting the health of the local community. The book "Nature Friendly Communities highlights other benefits of good land use planning. Image: www.ktc.org

"More than 80 million of us fish, hunt, and watch wildlife annually, spending $108 billion on equipment and trips associated with nature-related activities, with $40 billion linked to wildlife watching alone," said Chris Duerksen, co-author of Nature-Friendly Communities with colleague Cara Snyder, which hit bookstores today. "For the first time, nature enthusiasts have a resource for choosing among the nation's best places to live and visit."

Creating nature-friendly communities not only improves the quality of life for residents but also reaps millions of dollars for local economies, according to the book. Property values rise, boosting tax revenues; infrastructure costs decline; new employers move in, expanding the job base; and tourism increases. While state and federal governments continue to weaken wildlife and nature-related protections, cities, towns and counties are stepping up efforts to protect nature, improving the lives of local residents and cashing in on a multi-billion dollar opportunity.

10 STEPS TO CREATING A NATURE-FIRENDLY COMMUNITY. 

  1. Plan ahead: Places like Sanibel Island, Fla. assess current conditions and produce many mapsthat show habitats, watersheds, ecological areas and other natural features worthy of protection. Successful communities involve citizens in deciding what to protect, creating comprehensive and specific area plans to do it.
  2. Create a strong, integrated structure: Ft. Collins, Colo. integrates nature preservation with development concerns, cooperates on a regional level, and devotes sufficient staff to the effort. 
  3. Find the funds to acquire sensitive lands: Places such as Dane County, Wis., establish stable, long-term funding for buying sensitive lands for parks, open space, and preservation. 
  4. Establish strong, flexible, creative and coordinated regulations: Communities such as Teton County, Wyo. use zoning, subdivision regulations, or overlay districts to make sure that new development protects or enhances the natural environment. Other communities use regulations to encourage compact development in existing communities.
  5. Create programs to restore degraded habitats: Baltimore County, Md. and places like it are working to undo previous damage, restoring streambeds, planting trees, and removing invasive species. 
  6. Lead by example with exemplary public projects: Eugene, Ore. makes sure its own actions are nature-friendly, assessing capital development projects, and introducing integrated pest management to city parks.
  7. Provide equitable benefits: Placer County, Calif. addresses the affordable housing crisis at the root of much nature-gobbling sprawl, and other communities make sure lower-income neighborhoods get a fair share of parks and access to nature.
  8. Educate and involve citizens: Protecting nature means educating people about the value of natural areas. Fort Collins, Colo. has trained 100 volunteer Master Naturalists, who give talks and lead nature tours. 
  9. Track progress: King County, Wash. tracks a myriad of indicators on habitat, water quality, wetlands, forest lands, and even salmon. 
  10. Be creative! Communities that are dedicated to habitat protection come up with new, innovative ideas, from Dane County’s wetland mitigation bank to Placer County’s outreach programs to farmers.

From Nature-Friendly Communities: Habitat Protection and Land Use Planning, by Christopher Duerksen & Cara Snyder. Island Press, 2005.

"In the face of rampant development which is eating up America's open space, communities have employed creative conservation measures that actually promote economic growth and vitality – not inhibit it," added Duerksen. "These communities are learning that protecting nature makes not just good sense but good dollars and cents. And a growing number of communities are joining the ranks in taking bold steps to invest in their natural assets."

The benefits of nature-friendly communities affect residents of all income levels. For example, citizens exercise more frequently if a greenway is nearby; more trees and vegetation provide better air quality; and low income residents of urban areas that protect nature are more likely to have access to affordable recreational opportunities.

"Nature-Friendly Communities" shines a spotlight on the most successful approaches to protecting nature and the great work happening in communities across the country. And it provides public officials and planning professionals, working on the local and regional levels, with how-to tools to incorporate natural area protection in city and county planning efforts.

"Americans have shown time and again they are willing to pay for nature protection," added Duerksen. "We consistently approve funding measures for land conservation whether our local economies are thriving or not. This book shows that if citizens make the commitment they can easily transform their communities into nature-friendly areas. The tools are there for all communities, regardless of size, political bent, or economic health."

Below is the list of the nineteen nature-friendly communities. Loudoun County, Va., originally made the list, but recent political developments undermine nature-friendly measures. So rather than remove it, the author uses Loudoun as an example of the fragile nature of well-intended plans in the face of political pressures.

  • Austin, Texas
  • Sanibel, Fla. 
  • Farmington Valley, Conn.
  • Baltimore County, Md.
  • Twin Cities, Minn. 
  • King County, Wash.
  • Dane County, Wis. 
  • Bath Township, Ohio
  • Pittsford, N.Y.
  • Eugene, Ore.
  • Charlotte Harbor, Fla.
  • Powell County, Mont.
  • Fort Collins, Colo. 
  • Chicago, Ill.
  • Teton County, Wyo
  • Pima County, Ariz.
  • Dekalb County, Ga.
  • Traverse Bay, Mich.
  • Placer County, Calif.

DOING YOUR PART

    Has your company worked to build or maintain nature-friendly communities? Do you incorporate any of the 10 Steps in the sidebar above in your everyday work? Let us know by sharing your experiences on the Lawn & Landscape Online Message board.

     

Chris Duerksen is a nationally recognized land use planning consultant who has worked with local governments all over the country. He is managing director of Clarion Associates and a cofounder of the Rocky Mountain Land Use Institute. He has authored many books and articles on land use and conservation issues. And he served two terms on the Fredericksburg, Va. city council.

Find more information on Nature-Friendly Communities and how you can help develop nature-friendly programs in your own area by visiting www.naturefriendlytools.org. Take a quiz to determine if your own area is nature-friendly and print fact sheets with educational information on the benefits of nature-friendly communities.

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