Land Stewardship and Recreation Access

Once a community's important open spaces and priority lands have been identified, our firm provides guidance on management of those resources. We help communities plan for accomodating appropriate public use as well as implementing preservation and restoration practices.

Open Space & Recreation Plans

Brown Walker Planners has worked with a number of communities to complete open space plans that address conservation objectives as well as active and passive recreational needs. Our staff's familiarity with the components of a successful plan, expertise in park and recreation planning, and technical ability in mapping, make us a one-stop-shop for communities looking to create a thoughtful and useful plan for a reasonable budget.

North Reading, MA (2007)
Sandwich, MA (2005)
Berlin, MA (2004, 2011)
Dedham, MA (1999, 2004 and 2010)
Norfolk, MA (2003)

To be successful, open space plans need to consider the unique needs of the community and involve community members in the planning process. All of our plans include demographic and socio-economic profiles of the community, an assessment of community recreation needs (through surveys and stakeholder interviews), comprehensive community-wide inventory of open space and natural resources, and a series of GIS maps. In addition, our firm is experienced in facilitating public meetings and working with committees to solicit input to the plans. As with most of our plans, the projects produce detailed Action Plans with timelines, priorities, and funding resources. We also draw upon our knowledge of zoning and other innovative land use regulations to make recommendations for protecting and enhancing open spaces.