Just as large developments can have impacts on many municipalities, large or linear open spaces can also provide positive benefits for many cities and towns.  Inter-municipal collaboration for park, greenway, and trail planning can maximize the local and regional benefits of open space resources.  Municipalities can identify opportunities, pool resources, and make coordinated investments.  

In most municipalities, open space planning primarily is undertaken as a local effort with a focus on maintaining a current open space and recreation plan that meets the requirements of the Division of Conservation Services and renders the community eligible to apply for grants.  While some communities may be working with their neighbors on projects that cross municipal borders, many more opportunities may be missed because communities lack a “big picture” view of open space opportunities.

MAPC can help to introduce a regional perspective to open space planning by convening public and private sector open space advocates on a regional basis to identify opportunities for collaborative effort.  Conducted on a regular basis, such meetings could provide an important and ongoing forum for exchange and coordination.  They could also be the catalyst for the development of multi-municipality open space planning efforts.  Such efforts might focus on a specific resource that spans multiple municipalities, such as planning efforts facilitated by MAPC and currently underway in the Lower Mystic River Watershed.  The state can encourage regional open space planning by revising the grant selection process to prioritize proposals that are part of a multi-municipal plan.

13.a    MAPC should convene subregional working groups of open space advocates on an annual or biannual basis

13.b    Municipalities should collaborate on multi-municipal open space planning efforts.

13.c    The Division of Conservation Services should revise the grant selection process to give preference to acquisitions that are part of a multi-municipality plan

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