UVA "green team" presents findings in Lynchburg
The City of Lynchburg is working with UVA graduate students to evaluate and provide recommendations for community development strategies that might enhance and protect ecological and cultural assets found in Lynchburg.
The students recently presented some of their work at a public forum downtown. Among the topics are mapping the city's tree canopy and taking stock of habitat and buffers along waterways. As part of their project, they are showing which parts of the city need work and which parts already have excellent resources.
This project serves as a pilot for a field test project known as Green Infrastructure Planning Tools for Connected Communities that is funded and supported through a cooperative partnership between the Green Infrastructure Center, the University of Virginia, the Virginia Department of Forestry, and the Virginia Department of Conservation and Recreation.
Virginia's Region 2000 Local Government Council staff was instrumental in submitting the City as a pilot locality and in developing the initial framework for this project.
The grad students are from UVA's School of Architecture, Department of Urban and Environmental Planning.
Key project areas include:
- Urban Forest and tree canopy – evaluation of tree resources and the assessment ecological and environmental value to the city
- Water Resources – stream and riparian habitats and storm water management
- Parks - as special urban habitats
- Linkages and special cultural assets – review of additional transportation and trail linkages within the community
The study will provide valuable information that can be utilized by all Region 2000 residents, staff, and local government officials on the opportunities associated with integration of natural resource protection and community development, planning, and growth. For more info, please contact Kelly Hitchcock at khitchcock@region2000.org.