Background

Openspace protection will have a large impact on the future development of Charlestown. The amount, and type of land that is protected will shape the town for years to come.

Charlestown has recently passed an openspace bond of 2 million dollars. The town is also in the process of developing an openspace impact fee. These local efforts, combined with a statewide openspace acquisition program underway by the Rhode Island Department of Environmental Management and a number of private groups including The Nature Conservancy, provide large amounts of funding for openspace acquisition. A plan of action is necessary to use these funds wisely and efficiently.

Currently, there is no consensus in Charlestown regarding openspace acquisition. There are some who feel that the town has enough openspace, and needs to allow development, and others who feel that acquiring openspace is crucial to the towns future. Developing a consensus is a long and difficult process. Efforts have been taken to gather public input about openspace. This input is then used to formulate a system to prioritize openspace for acquisition.

I have taken a GIS-based approach to prioritize openspace. This approach has been broken up into two sections on this site. The first, is the point system, which develops and applies a scoring system to the entire town. Further background information on the point system specifically is in this section. The second is the potential impacts section, which combines the point system with the buildout analysis to evaluate the scoring system's ability to achieve its goals.

Links to studies that use GIS to study openspace acquisition.

Critical Lands for Conservation

Prioritizing Sites along the Santa Clara River for Conservation of Threatened and Endangered Species (PDF)

Modeling County Resources for a Purchase of Development Rights Program -Kristin Brown, David Torraca

Allocating Forecast Data to the Landscape - Karen A. Larson

Using Geographic Information Systems to Map the Strategic Value of Chesapeake Bay Farmland: Methodology Concept of Operations

What If...? Alternative Futures for the California Mojave Desert - Matthew R. Stevenson, Richard E. Toth, et. al

The What if? Planning Support System - Richard E. Klosterman

METROSCOPE:SIMULATING FUTURE URBAN LANDSCAPES AT THE PARCEL LEVEL