June 28, 2005
Susquehanna Communities Symposium
The Susquehanna Communities Symposium was held in Harrisburg on June 9 and 10, 2005. This first of what may become annual meetings was scheduled to occur at the time of the release of the Susquehanna Greenway Project strategic action plan. The greenway would be a continuous corridor along one or both banks of the river and its major tributaries, from headwaters to the Chesapeake Bay. Although the project is extremely ambitious, it is receiving a great deal of attention from residents and elected officials in communities along the river. While we may not see a continuous greenway, the energy and interest levels seem to indicate that much will be accomplished. To learn more about the Susquehanna Greenway Partnership and to download a draft of the strategic plan, click here:
http://www.susquehannagreenway.org/greenway/site/default.asp
My interest in the greenway concept -- in addition to seeing it evolve -- is the economic energy that it would restore to the river towns. As these municipalities reconnect to their river, opportunities for redevelopment will open, and this infill of existing communities may take some of the pressure off the countryside. (Although Pennsylvania is 48th among the states in population growth, we stand near the top of the list in terms of open space lost to development. DCNR Secretary Michael DeBerardinis told symposium attendees that 300 acres of open space have been consumed by development each day over the past 10 years)
If infill redevelopment in our river towns receives an economic boost from greenway projects, this development should use green building practices. Based on a growing body of knowledge, it appears that energy savings on the order of 1/3 compared to buildings constructed to current codes can be achieved by incorporating green practices into the design and construction of commercial buildings. Thoughtful cost shifting -- trading higher cost for a more efficient building envelope for smaller and less costly mechanical systems -- will often allow you to construct a green building for no more money than a conventional building. And those energy savings accrue year after year.
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