South County Greenspace Project

Approaching land use from the regional perspective, versus town-by-town, allows Washington County municipalities to more effectively manage development and preservation, by taking into account watershed boundaries, natural corridors, and the broader ecological and developed-land context.

To meet those goals, the WCRPC collaborated with Rhode Island Department of Environmental Management on the South County Greenspace Project. This project was designed to engage local, state, and federal participants in a comprehensive greenspace identification and preservation effort. The project assisted communities in inventorying and prioritizing natural, cultural, and recreational resources on a town-by-town basis, which was then also compiled into a regional map and inventory. The final report assists in linking greenspace priorities throughout each town and region to create unfragmented corridors of open space. In March of 2003 the findings of the South County Greenspace Project and South County Sustainable Economy Report (for more information on this project, see Economic Development under the Projects header) were presented to all town councils, to ensure support and use of the report’s resources and tools. A copy of the South County Greenspace Project is available here.