Beaver Creek -- from Ruin to Rehabilitation, Part 3

Green Infrastructure is Basis of Smart Growth

Note: The first three articles of this blog tell the story --12 years in the making -- of how a stream is making a comeback. The residents who live in the Beaver Creek watershed, about two dozen government agencies and community organizations, and a variety of scientists are bringing the degraded stream back to life. The Beaver Creek story shows what people can do when armed with both knowledge and know-how. 

Village life has attractive attributes.
There’s something to be said for the ways of the past. With the hurried development that’s occurred in the last several decades, we may have forgotten about the beneficial aspects of small town life – the ease with which we could walk to the neighborhood deli for lunch, pick up a prescription at the pharmacy and purchase some locally grown fruits and vegetables at a produce stand.

Or step outdoors, hop on a bike and spend an hour exercising on a trail that runs along a pleasant stream, maybe even through a wetland populated with cattails and red-winged blackbirds. These options for development not only are becoming more attractive; they are ways to change our driving habits, our physical activity levels and the way we view and use the natural amenities.

Such is life in a green community, where homes and businesses are interconnected by paths and trails, greenways and parks, and tall native trees grow to their full height, lending a peaceful, rural spirit to the community. The term “run errands” takes on new meaning when you actually enjoy the trip. Rather than being solely task-oriented, those daily duties also can provide physical and recreational activity.

Neighborhood design easily can enhance the natural features of an area for the benefit of both residents and the surrounding environment when green infrastructure planning is done before development begins. Green infrastructure is an interconnected system of natural areas and other open spaces (parks, greenways, forests, wetlands, etc.) managed for the benefits of both residents and the environment while incorporating the residential and commercial facilities people need.

Development guided by the principles of green infrastructure is vital as cities expand beyond their boundaries into the farmlands. In fact, the Environmental Protection Agency recognizes that green communities are critical in managing burgeoning populations and has set guidelines for developing a green infrastructure plan. One of those is the connectivity of homes and businesses.

In 2004, the Beaver Creek Task Force sponsored a green infrastructure study of the Beaver Creek watershed. Incorporating the sciences of biology, geology, cartography, hydrology, civil engineering and urban architecture, experts looked at the terrain, existing vegetation, land use, species diversity, water features and many other factors. This group of scientists concluded that there’s room for development in the watershed but proposed a development plan that, rather than work against nature, would allow people to preserve and enjoy their natural surroundings.

Green infrastructure means sustainable growth.

Included in the Beaver Creek Green Infrastructure Plan is the preservation of farmlands for locally grown produce, a park and greenway system tied to Beaver Creek that would give residents places to exercise, relax and enjoy the scenic beauty. The plan addresses sustainable future growth that breaks from development practices of recent years and creates centers of commercial facilities within walking distance of neighborhoods.

Infrastructure that is not green is sprawling low-density residential development and corridor commercial development that requires driving to every facility, fragments natural habitat and degrades the scenic and rural character of an outlying area. Such is the kind of growth that has occurred in the Beaver Creek watershed for the past 15 years.

Principles of smart growth regard open spaces as areas to be preserved and interconnected in a series of greenways, parks and conservation areas so people and wildlife can move freely from place to place.

If the concept of a village-style community seems too far-fetched, take a look at the town of Norris just up Interstate-75 from Knoxville. The little hamlet was built for workers and their families during the construction of Norris Dam in the 1930s. But the Tennessee Valley Authority used specific guidelines in the layout of Norris, patterned after the Garden City Movement in 1890s Britain. Planners of the experimental community considered the natural features of the terrain when building homes and businesses. Interconnecting pathways allowed easy access to town and to one's neighbors. 

Many urban planners are combining these early concepts with today's new technologies to create pleasanter and more sustainable living centers in pockets of development throughout the United States.  Green infrastructure is very doable. Like most other things, its implementation is based on supply and demand. If people demand it, developers will supply it.