Improving the natural and built environment connection in the Blueprint
Improving the natural and built environment connection in the Blueprint
Full Title
Improving the Integration between the Natural and Built Environment within the South Atlantic Conservation BlueprintOverview
Urban communities are increasingly shaping the conservation future of the South Atlantic. Major metropolitan areas present both direct threats, such as loss habitat and open space, and indirect threats, such as creating barriers to connectivity. As a result of both these direct and indirect threats,...Urban communities are increasingly shaping the conservation future of the South Atlantic. Major metropolitan areas present both direct threats, such as loss habitat and open space, and indirect threats, such as creating barriers to connectivity. As a result of both these direct and indirect threats, and their scale, metropolitan areas pose a challenge when thinking about corridors and connectivity, and many of the traditional approaches to green infrastructure and conservation are not adequate for urban areas. The Conservation Blueprint (Blueprint) is cross-boundary, cross-organization plan that prioritizes areas for shared conservation action in the South Atlantic. It is designed as a resource for conservation action and investment, which identifies areas for shared action at the ecosystem level. Unfortunately, the quality of current models near and within cities is major barrier for Blueprint users working for and with local governments. Improving these models has been identified as a high priority for Blueprint 2.0 workshop participants, Blueprint users working near and within cities, and the Conservation Design Team. The South Atlantic Landscape Conservation Cooperative (South Atlantic LCC) will engage the American Planning Association (APA) Green Communities Research Center in a scoping project that will examine how large scale green infrastructure definitions and urban scale definitions can be bridged in order to address this challenge and identify areas of shared conservation interest across the rural – urban continuum.Why Selected
Local governments are increasingly shaping the conservation future of the South Atlantic. Unfortunately, the quality of current models near and within cities is major barrier for Blueprint Users working for, and with, local governments. Improving these models is a high priority for Blueprint 2.0 workshop participants, Blueprint Users working near and within cities, and the Conservation Design Team.Products
Task 1 - Identify opportunities and challenges to integrating local government green/blue infrastructure efforts with regional approaches like the Conservation Blueprint In Task 1, APA will conduct initial research, collect feedback, and facilitate discussions between urban planners and other conservation professionals. 1.1 APA will perform a scan of existing literature and resources in order to identifying existing regional approaches like Conservation Blueprint, and to identify opportunities and challenges 1.2 APA will collect feedback from planners and other conservation professionals on opportunities and challenges. Approaches may include, but are not limited to, phone interviews, surveys, or on-line meetings (Adobe Connect) 1.3 APA will convene a 3-day Summit of planners and conservation professionals in the South Atlantic Region, informed by findings of tasks 1.1 and 1.2, to discuss opportunities and challenges, collaboration between planners and conservation professionals Task 1 Deliverables: Annotated bibliography, summary report Period of Performance: Months 1-3 Task 2 - Develop an approach to improve Blueprint design near and within cities In task 2, APA will work with the South Atlantic LCC staff to develop an approach to improve Blueprint design near and within cities, drawing on the findings of task 1. 2.1 Work with South Atlantic LCC staff to develop recommended improvements to South Atlantic LCC Urban Open Space Indicator and other potentially related ecosystem indicators 2.2 APA will evaluate other indicators for relationships to the Urban Open Space Indicator and recommend improvements accordingly Task 2 Deliverables: Report on recommended improvements to Urban Open Space Indicator and other potentially related urban ecosystem indicators Period of Performance: Months 3-6 Task 3 - Implement the improved approach to Blueprint Design near and within cities In task 3, APA will work with South Atlantic LCC staff to implement the approach developed in task 2 near and within cities. APA will gather feedback from planners and other Blueprint users on implementation of the improved approach. Task 3 Deliverable: Summary report on implementation of the improved approach Period of Performance: Months 6-11 Task 4 - Evaluate and recommend improvements to the Urban Open Space Indicator and related ecosystem indicators In task 4, APA will evaluate improvements to the Urban Open Space Indicator and related ecosystem indicators based on findings from implementation in task 3. Based on the evaluative findings, APA will recommend improvements to the Urban Open Space Indicator and related ecosystem indicators. Task 4 Deliverable: Summary report on recommended improvements Period of Performance: Months 11-12 Task 5 – Complete a final report In task 5, APA will complete a final report that identifies opportunities and challenges to integrating local government green/blue infrastructure efforts with regional infrastructure approaches like Conservation Blueprint. 5.1 APA will write a final report, drawing on tasks 1-4 5.2 APA will disseminate the report to its approximately 40,000 members using outreach capabilities, including the APA website, APA’s weekly newsletter Interact, and the Sustainable Communities and Regional and Intergovernmental Planning Divisions, as well as directly to APA Chapters in the South Atlantic states Task 5 Deliverable: Final report Period of Performance: Months 13-15Date Started
01/2016Target Completion
04/2017
Final report
