The Value of Open Space: A Case Study of the Values of Suburban Residents

Abstract

In light of the rapid spread of sprawling development, a better understanding of local efforts promoting open space preservation is needed. This comparative case study focused on creating narratives to provide a deeper understanding of how suburban residents in the Philadelphia region value open space. Logan and Molotch's "Growth machine hypothesis" and Michael Taylor's alternative choice theory provided a framework for the study. Survey respondents who were more liberal and affluent, had higher levels of education, access to and use of open space, were more supportive of open space preservation efforts. Survey and interview respondents and local officials were more likely to value local open spaces for their use, rather than exchange values. Interviews provided narratives of how residents valued open spaces primarily for a variety of use values, secondarily for their exchange values, and as a reaction against growth itself. Local municipalities by engaging in public education to increase resident understanding of the economic value of open space and the value of growing smartly can work to improve local quality of life by simultaneously preserving open spaces and accommodating growth for the community's advantage.