Special Open House this Saturday at Noon! In response to last night's film, five homeowners are opening their homes to people interested in learning why a neighborhood that is beautiful and healthy to live in is so great, and what a home that integrates with nature looks and feels like.
Last night I presented at Salem Progressive Film Series, after the film "Nature of Cities." One of the data points I shared was
the percent of parks and open space in a typical neighborhood development in Salem. I took a look at the Morningside Neighborhood, in south Salem, and found that the land already spoken for in terms of residential development -- land that already has streets, houses, and parks space accounted for -- is roughly 900 acres. Within that 900 acres there are three existing neighborhood parks (12.4 acres total), one future park (5 acres), and one school district ball field (10 acres), which provide an overall public open space acreage of 27.4 acres -- roughly 3%.
the percent of parks and open space in a typical neighborhood development in Salem. I took a look at the Morningside Neighborhood, in south Salem, and found that the land already spoken for in terms of residential development -- land that already has streets, houses, and parks space accounted for -- is roughly 900 acres. Within that 900 acres there are three existing neighborhood parks (12.4 acres total), one future park (5 acres), and one school district ball field (10 acres), which provide an overall public open space acreage of 27.4 acres -- roughly 3%.
In contrast, Pringle Creek Community has 32 acres, 20 of which are lots/homes and streets, and 12 of which are parks, gardens, and open space -- about 38%. If we add the ball field adjacent to the neighborhood, that jumps up to 52% park space! This, as you can imagine, provides a completely different atmosphere compared to a neighborhood with just 3% neighborhood park space.
I also shared a bit about reclaiming urban space into nature -- either through rain gardens, turning lawns into landscaping, planting trees, gardens, and greenroofs. One of the best visuals was a "before and after" shot of our greenroofs. Which one do you prefer...
