All over Seattle, green space is being threatened by development. The exponential growth of the “Emerald City” – on course to add another 120,000 residents by 2035* – is forcing some tough decisions for residents and elected officials, from how to handle transportation and housing, to education and homelessness. Perhaps most urgently, individual neighborhoods will need to address the environmental impacts of such rapid development and fight to preserve available green space where it currently exists.

One neighborhood group, the Urban Homestead Foundation, is mitigating some of this density by purchasing a piece of vacant land in the Genesee Hill neighborhood of West Seattle and turning it into an environmental learning lab and demonstration garden for the community. The property currently hosts beautiful, mature trees which offer a buffer between the 700+ seat elementary school across the street and neighboring homes. Six of these trees are listed as “exceptional,” which the city defines as important community resources because of their unique historical, ecological or aesthetic value. The land, currently owned by Seattle City Light, is to be sold for development if the community isn’t able to raise the necessary funds by December 31, 2017.

Why Green Space Matters

This is the ongoing challenge for our urban canopies – these small pockets of green space are community assets located all over the city, important connections for urban wildlife and pollinators, as well as the human populations who enjoy them. But they are not seen as having the same economic value as a new building or home, even though their contribution to the health and vitality of a neighborhood is just as valuable. A growing body of evidence supports the idea that human communities need nature in and around them in order to thrive. Green space is integral to the wellbeing of our communities, making neighborhoods safer, more livable, more equitable, and more resilient. The Nature Conservancy reports that providing residents with higher amounts of nearby nature is an essential element of child development, and contributes to significantly higher levels of well-being and lower mental distress in residents**.

Additionally, providing green space and tree canopies considerably boosts the market value of homes, combats pollution and improves air quality**. Preserving our natural environment in an urban setting is imperative for the sustainable and equitable growth of a population. And unlike buildings or homes, these environmental assets will be impossible to get back when they are gone.

Saving pockets of green space in dense Seattle neighborhoods makes growth sustainable and perhaps even pleasant, by creating urban sanctuaries for community gatherings and educational opportunities. Repurposing unused land for public use, rather than selling it for short-term private development, offers long-term public benefits while offering protection to the tree canopy of our urban forest.*** Intentional community and donor activism can save existing green spaces, preserving them in perpetuity and maintaining the urban canopy which gave Seattle its nickname in the first place.

*City of Seattle

** The Nature Conservancy

*** Seattle Green Spaces Coalition

________

Original Contribution by Kristen Corning Bedford, Board Member, Urban Homestead Foundation.