Re: "The Economic Benefits of Open Space"

["cpeo@cpeo.org" <cpeo@cpeo.org>]

I don't think everyone got this message from Alex Lantsberg yesterday.

Tony


     -----Original Message-----
     [mailto:owner-cpeo-brownfields@igc.org]On Behalf Of Emery Graham
     Sent: Wednesday, May 19, 1999 12:04 PM

     It becomes increasingly apparent that one of the attendant impacts of
     efforts to preserve open space is an increase in the value of land in
other
     existing uses. As our efforts to spur economic development succeed, those
     who are existing land owners will find themselves the beneficiaries of
     windfall profits and rents driven by government supported programs.

     What happened to "environmental justice.?



i hope that community based develoopmnet is a part of any economic
development strategy nd that the reuse of the sites ties back into
communtiy needs and actual community development.  

a lot of the surrounding property in my neighborhood is owned by the
residents themselves so i dont see anything wrong with property values
going up. considering that government largess has gone to enhance the
profits of those who already have a great deal, then wheat is the problem
of including those who have often been cut out? the challenge is to make
sure that the existing community continues to receive the benefits of this
development. this is actually shifting into a discussion about
gentrification. as long as newcomers dont start moving in capitalizing on
the changes on the ground and excluding those who have paid the price of
pollution and blight, then the open space and land reuse is doing just what
we want to see--improving the neighborhood and the lives of those who have
and continue to live there.

       _____ 

     Alex Lantsberg, Project Coordinator
     Southeast Alliance for Environmental Justice
     744 Innes Avenue, San Francisco, CA  94124
     ph: 415/824.4102              fax: 415/824.1061
     alex@saej.org                             www.saej.org