Dan Perlman, associate professor of biology at Brandeis University, began the discussion by exploring the value of undeveloped acres found in the middle of populated areas.

By Lily Silverman

Even a nor'easter could not dampen spirits at the New England Smart Growth Leadership Forum on October 25, 2005. Hosted by the Lincoln Institute of Land Policy in Cambridge, Massachusetts, the forum focused on topics including conservation, development, financing, and fostering sustainable communities in New England.

Dan Perlman, associate professor of biology at Brandeis University, began the discussion by exploring the value of undeveloped acres found in the middle of populated areas. The small, wooded areas that pepper so many New England communities are seldom recognized for their environmental significance.

Perlman explained that small patches of untouched land located within neighborhoods allow future generations to maintain their connection to the natural environment. By studying how these isolated tracts of wilderness interconnect, communities will be better able to preserve them without impeding growth.

The day's presenters focused on how communities can effectively leverage public, private, and nonprofit sectors to work collectively toward conservation. James Levitt, director of the Program on Conservation Innovation at Harvard University's Kennedy School of Government, used the Boston Common as a powerful historical example of the benefits available when public and private interests converge.

Steve Rosenberg, executive director of The Scenic Hudson Land Trust, presented a case study of a well-respected land-trust organization that has taken on an ambitious project in a Hudson River community. The project includes land preservation as well as housing, commercial, and recreational development.

Ernest Cook, senior vice president of the Trust for Public Land, provided an update on the dozens of communities across the country that have approved conservation ballot measures, a clear demonstration of the value citizens put on the preservation of open space.

Beth Humstone, director of U.S. Initiatives at the Institute for Sustainable Communities, delivered the final update on the work of the New England Futures project, a research and educational initiative designed to understand and promote New England's competitive advantage.

David Parish, member services representative at the Federal Home Loan Bank of Boston (the Bank), commented, "Our members perform well when they can finance development in their regions, but this is getting harder to do. One of the issues at hand is the density of development; on the other side of that coin is the issue of conservation. We need to find ways for density, development, and conservation to supplement and support each other."

Forum sponsors included the Lincoln Institute of Land Policy, U.S. Environmental Protection Agency, the Bank, and the New England Initiative at the Center for Industrial Competitiveness at UMass Lowell.