The prospect of a greenway connecting to or through campus lands carries both great promise and heightened risk. In reaching decisions about potential participation in a greenway, the College must weigh considerations of civic opportunity and neighborliness against potential division and disturbance of its lands, and factors of safety and liability. Whatever the direction of future decisions it will be necessary to apply careful planning to the minimization and management of the risk of disruption.
Action Item B.2.2 – Consider the conditions under which the College might participate in any greenway proposed to use College-owned land, including commitments regarding security of people and property, maintenance provisions and the ability to withdraw from participation if results are not satisfactory. Specific exclusion of particular areas of College land may also need to be addressed. Determine whether these conditions make participation feasible or not, or hold this judgment in abeyance pending further development of greenway plans if sufficient detail is not available.
Pattern Language: Community Participation (ADPL5)
• B.3 - Optimize Community Benefit from the Land Problem: Community Involvement in Land Use is Limited Currently, community members who are not directly involved in programs that use the land passively enjoy the environment of the core campus and views of the land, availability of farm, garden and forest products, and opportunities for recreation, but do not participate in management or land use decisions. While these are no small amenities, more active involvement in land use principles and practices and in land use programs throughout the community would not only benefit individuals but also strengthen the cohesiveness of the community and its ties to the land. To a degree this problem may be related to the quota system discussed above, but it should not be assumed that revisions therein would precipitate a solution without further effort. Community input and participation should be actively sought in the areas of land use allocation, enterprise and entrepreneurial experiments, programs and studies in departments not currently using the land and enhancement of the aesthetic value of the land.
Action Item B.3.1 – Establish committees to advise land managers with respect to land use opportunities and community participation. Encourage research and entrepreneurial proposals regarding land use throughout the community and the academic curriculum.
Pattern Language: Community Participation (ADPL5)
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