Communities are stepping up measures to prevent developments from fencing in public areas. The new round of protests comes as the amount of open land in the U.S. is shrinking.
"Worried that too much open green space is being fenced off inside exclusive gated enclaves, communities are stepping up measures to curb such developments. In Waco, Texas, voters this month defeated a proposal to sell public park land to a developer who wanted to build a gated complex there. Officials in Boulder City, Nev., who have watched such developments engulf nearby Las Vegas and Henderson, have banned them outright; a similar measure is under consideration in Asheville. Last year, a Los Angeles man filed suit against a gated project in Canyon Lake, Calif., charging it illegally prevented him from boating on a publicly accessible lake the development claims is private property."
"...Gated communities have their defenders, who argue that some actually protect natural wildlife habitats. In a number of areas, officials have leveraged givebacks from developers, requiring or cajoling them to set aside vast amounts of greenery in return for permission to build -- the sort of compromise championed by wildlife organizations. The developers of Santa Lucia Preserve, a 31-square-mile gated community near Carmel, Calif., for instance, agreed to leave nine-tenths of the tract vacant under a conservation easement in exchange for the right to sell 300 lots to builders."
[Editor's Note: This article is available to Planetizen subscribers for a period of seven days.]
FULL STORY: Developers, Cities Duel Over Gated Green Space

Trump Administration Could Effectively End Housing Voucher Program
Federal officials are eyeing major cuts to the Section 8 program that helps millions of low-income households pay rent.

Planetizen Federal Action Tracker
A weekly monitor of how Trump’s orders and actions are impacting planners and planning in America.

Ken Jennings Launches Transit Web Series
The Jeopardy champ wants you to ride public transit.

Driving Equity and Clean Air: California Invests in Greener School Transportation
California has awarded $500 million to fund 1,000 zero-emission school buses and chargers for educational agencies as part of its effort to reduce pollution, improve student health, and accelerate the transition to clean transportation.

Congress Moves to End Reconnecting Communities and Related Grants
The House Transportation and Infrastructure Committee moved to rescind funding for the Neighborhood Equity and Access program, which funds highway removals, freeway caps, transit projects, pedestrian infrastructure, and more.

From Throughway to Public Space: Taking Back the American Street
How the Covid-19 pandemic taught us new ways to reclaim city streets from cars.
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