Open Space Planning

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Planning for Every Landscape

From community land trusts to public agencies to real estate developers, Openlands partners across sectors to protect, grow, and connect the region’s open spaces.

Land Help & Services

Planning for Community Land Trusts & Organizations

Openlands is a Land Trust Alliance accredited land trust and partners with community-based organizations to protect, grow, and connect the region’s open spaces. We work alongside communities to co-create plans for neighborhood green space, park and open space master planning, urban forestry, and green infrastructure.

Our role is not to direct, but to support—helping translate community vision into actionable strategies that advance resilient landscapes, watershed health, and equitable access to nature. We bring ecological expertise, regional perspective, and a deep understanding of funding, stewardship, and implementation pathways. Through this work, we help communities not only plan for open space, but shape a future where all people are connected to—and benefit from—nature.

Planning for Public Agencies

Openlands works alongside agencies to strengthen planning for watershed health, urban forestry, and parks and open space. Our approach integrates science, community priorities, and long-term stewardship—supporting efforts to meet climate resilience goals, improve environmental health, and enhance public access to nature across neighborhoods and communities.

Openlands frequently serves as a trusted partner within public processes—participating in technical advisory committees, interagency collaborations, and community-driven planning efforts. We contribute to policy and advocacy initiatives, helping advance programs, standards, and investments that support equitable access to open space and nature. Through these partnerships, we aim to strengthen public systems and build the conditions for enduring conservation impact at scale.

Planning for Real Estate Developers

Openlands engages with private real estate developers to align development with the long-term health of our region’s landscapes, communities, and ecosystems. We support site planning for sustainability through an ecological lens, helping projects contribute to resilient landscapes that protect and enhance critical natural infrastructure, benefiting both people and nature.

We collaborate early and throughout the development process to provide environmental due diligence and guide open-space planning and design for habitat integration, urban forestry, and neighborhood green space. Our approach supports projects in meeting climate resilience goals while enhancing water quality, biodiversity, and public access to nature—ensuring that development responds to both environmental and community priorities.

As a nonprofit conservation organization, Openlands also helps bridge development with broader public goals and community-driven processes. We can serve in advisory roles, participate in stakeholder engagement, or design reviews and provide technical guidance. In doing so, we help developments not only meet requirements, but also contribute to marketability and long-term project value—advancing projects that are successful, responsible, and part of a more resilient, equitable, and connected region.