Lasting Value: Open Space Planning and Preservation Successes

For ten years Pruetz explored communities that excel in saving their natural environment. In twenty-four illustrated vignettes, he captures the character of places from the volcanic range near downtown Albuquerque, New Mexico, to Minneapolis’s Grand Rounds park system, to farmland improbably preserved on Long Island.

As the longtime city planner of Burbank, California, Pruetz offers more than an appreciation of these communities. He brings a planner’s-eye view of the practices behind their achievements. His detailed reports of creative preservation solutions mark the trail for planners, commissioners, and citizens who seek to preserve the green legacy in their own backyards.