Conserving Urban Open Spaces, Working Landscapes, Historical Sites, and Cultural Resources

GOAL FOUR: Incorporate urban open spaces, working landscapes, historical sites, and cultural resources into Florida's system of greenways. The vast majority of Florida is a human-altered landscape. From open rangeland and farm fields to large cities and small towns, these lands can make a significant contribution to greenways. They are vital to the statewide system of greenways and a sustainable Florida for the 2 1 st century. The statewide greenways system should include urban open spaces where people live, work, and play and rural landscapes that produce food, timber, and other renewable natural resources. These lands represent modified natural systems that still maintain important environmental functions. With thoughtful care and management, these lands can serve many of the needs of society on a sustainable basis. Urban and working landscape components of the statewide greenways system have a number of common characteristics. First, they are usually dominated by a mosaic of privately-owned land and may have a long tradition of private land stewardship. This ownership and management pattern lends itself best to cooperative public-private conservation techniques. These lands harbor many of Florida's most significant cultural and historic resources including historic districts, sites of historic settlement, archeological sites, and the agricultural landscapes that contributed to the state's early and continuing economic prosperity. These lands maybe more accessible to the public urban greenways in particular are generally the most accessible to the largest number of people. Finally, these lands-the distinctively Florida historic urban forms and working landscapesmake a vital contribution to the Sense Of place that is Florida. These components of Florida's greenways systern fall into four main categories: urban open spaces-the remaining open spaces, plazas, boulevards, neighborhood and community parks, waterfronts, and linear corridors found in cities and towns, both large and small, and other urbanized areas; working landscapes-privately-owned rural lands of all types that have been modified by people and continue to be managed on a productive basis, including farmland of all types, privately-managed timber land, reclaimed mine land, and other privately owned rural lands maintained in a predominately open and undeveloped state; historical sites-archaeological and historic sites, both urban and rural, which may also occur in pristine natural settings; and cultural resources-festivals and events that reinforce cultural diversity as well as museums, visitor centers, environmental education centers, and other interpretive facilities. The urban open spaces, working landscapes, historical sites, and cultural resource components of Florida's system of greenways are critical to linking and providing buffers for the environmentally sensitive components of the system. They also provide places where people can begin to understand and appreciate the past, present, and future relationship between people and the land. Summary of Recommended Strategies Identify, protect, and manage appropriate urban open spaces and corridors as integral components of Florida's system of greenways. Making greenway connections to Florida's cities is critical to achieving a better balance between man and nature and is integral to creating a sustainable Florida for future generations. City parks once were considered the hallmark of a liveable city. Today many of Florida's city parks are crumbling for lack of maintenance, operating, and program funds and are even being converted to other uses. As demands on local budgets have grown over the past decade, urban parks and recreation areas have fared poorly. Florida's inner-city neighborhoods and urban youth are particularly underserved. In fast growing metropolitan areas, development is outpacing efforts to conserve open lands and cultural resources for public use. While urban parks and greenways alone cannot solve urban problems, they are critical to the health of our cities and growing metropolitan areas and to the quality of life in Florida. Identify opportunities for incorporating working landscapes that contribute to conservation into Florida's system of greenways in ways that respect private property rights and interests. Working landscapes and rural open spaces include the forests, fields, groves, pastures, reclaimed mine land, and other commodity-oriented lands that are neither native ecosystems nor urban areas. Protection of farms and rural ways of life, and their associated landscapes that help provide the rural sense of place, can be a function of Florida's system of greenways. Greenways planning should encourage maintaining the benefits of rural lands: their ecological functions such as water recharge, flood control, and native species habitat; their attractive views for citizens and tourists from highways, roads, and traits ; and their support of food, forest and animal production. The orange groves of central and southern Florida, the horse farms of Marion County, the phosphate mines of west central Florida, and the pine plantations of north Florida are working landscapes and part of the state's economic base. Greenways planning should include such lands, while maintaining or enhancing the rural economy. Agriculture and silviculture have historically been an integral part of Florida's landscape. In fact, many examples of Florida's highly valued ecosystems can be found on privately owned agriculture and silviculture lands. Participation of agriculture and silviculture in the Florida Greenways Program depends directly upon whether participation allows the farmer, rancher, and forester to remain economically viable. With the necessary economic incentives, private landowners will want to maintain or enhance the natural assets of their property. Similarly, mined and reclaimed mine lands can also provide greenway values. Once mined, the land is reclaimed into useful land forms. Reclaimed lands arc a versatile contribution to rural and urban Florida, providing acreage for agriculture, grazing, timbering, and other development. Incorporate historical resources into Florida's system of greenways. Since the time of European contact in the sixteenth century, Floridians have continued to leave their mark on the land. The tangible reminders of our past few centuries include not only archaeological sites but also more visible and recognizable features that make up our built environment: houses, stores, forts, earthworks, bridges, old roadways-large numbers of structures and features from Florida's past that contribute to our heritage and our current sense of place. Incorporate cultural resources and opportunities into Florida's system of greenways. The richness of Florida's heritage stems in large part from the vibrant mix of cultures that left their distinctive architectural styles and unique changes upon the landscape. Today this diversity continues to mold the character of Florida's communities and the built environment. The statewide greenways system should include festivals and events that reinforce cultural diversity as well as museums, visitor centers, environmental centers, and other interpretive elements that help Floridians learn more about themselves and each other.