Value of Open Space

People often assign value to land based on what can be built on it, but there are so many other types of value to be derived from green spaces--ecological, health, recreational, and aesthetic. If we only define the land’s value based on economics, we risk missing out on the dividends to be received by these other measures.

Vernon J. Walker was the first Nature Center Director. He was a driving force of environmental preservation in Reston from 1964-1982. He diligently worked to protect natural open spaces where humans, wildlife and plants could co-exist. Why were these open spaces so important to Walker, and why should they continue to be important to us? We’re diving into the archives so you can hear from him in his own words. This excerpt is taken from a memo he wrote in 1970.

With its 1,300 acres of open space, Reston continues to be a unique place to live, work and play. In 2018, Reston joined the prestigious Biophilic Cities network. One can imagine that if Walker were with us today, he would find many synchronicities with this modern trend of designing and protecting urban environments that connect people with green spaces. If we want to continue to enjoy the “vastly different character” of this community, we must continue to assign value to our open spaces and be good stewards of nature for future generations.

Take the Biophilic Pledge at https://bit.ly/RestonBiophilicPledge.

THE VALUE OF OPEN SPACE IN CLOSE PROXIMITY TO DWELLING UNITS By Vernon J. Walker, Director

I wish to make two points which are perhaps difficult to justify in terms of short-term economic gains, but very easy to justify, in my opinion, in terms of the effect on the quality of life for those people who are and will be involved and in terms of the long-range economic gains for the total community. Of what value is a wooded area too steep or too low to build on? By preserving such open space together with a non-consumptive wildlife1 population and its supporting flora, we immediately add a new dimension to the lives of those people living nearby, or even to the lives of those people passing by. This is an area permanently set aside for the use and enjoyment of young and old. Even a 20-foot wooded buffer strip can support a wide variety of non-consumptive wildlife and serve as a visual buffer and an absorber of noise, not to mention the green plants’ ability to absorb pollutants! Green space in close proximity to living areas, then, creates a community of a vastly different character. It changes the lifestyle. It tends to make people feel close to the land, to respect the land. This kind of total environment is, I submit, worth the initial investment and will grow in value as emphasis on the living environment increases. Written by Vern Walker

1. Wildlife that is watched, studied or recorded without being killed, such as while hiking, birdwatching, sketching or photographing for recreation, education or research.