Conservation Development Conservation Design Scorecard: A Resilient Communities Project–GreenStep Cities Guide

Abstract

Conservation design is an innovative approach to development that enables communities to balance development objectives with conservation goals, typically through a combination of more dense development and preservation of large, contiguous areas of open space. In 2009, Envision Minnesota created a Conservation Design Scorecard that planners, planning commissions, local officials, developers, conservation professionals, and residents can use to ensure conservation design developments meet their objectives of preserving the environmental integrity of the development site, creating a unique sense of place, and fostering a more open development process that engages neighbors and community members. Developments are rated on 10 basic characteristics using measureable criteria: amount of open space, value of open space, connectivity of open space, legal protection of open space, minimal environmental and viewshed impacts, minimal impacts from roads, storm water managed onsite, wastewater appropriately managed, transparent and open application process, and community sense of place. This resource presents a slightly adapted version of the scorecard more appropriate for suburban contexts.

This document was prepared by the University of Minnesota’s Resilient Communities Project (RCP) for the Minnesota GreenStep Cities Program. It was adapted from work originally completed through a partnership between RCP and the City of Minnetonka, Minnesota, during the 2012–2013 academic year. Although the original report was developed for a specific community, the findings and recommendations have been synthesized and generalized, and additional research has been conducted where necessary, to produce a resource that is relevant to communities throughout Minnesota. The original student report can be found at https://conservancy.umn.edu/handle/11299/185366.