Open spaces can be managed under public or local laws of Parliament (e.g. parks and open spaces owned by local authorities under the Open Spaces Act 1906) or under management plans (by local authorities for community land and urban/village greenery). Subject to the local guidelines of a local development plan, if land is considered an open space, it may only be sold if the procedure set out in section 123 of the Local Government Act 1972 (as amended) is applied. Disposal must be announced and objections must be taken into account before disposal can take place. With a Natural Resource Inventory (NRIs) in hand, communities are well positioned to develop strategies to preserve their priority natural areas and the many benefits that a healthy environment brings. Combined with community analysis and input, the NRI provides a basis for developing an inventory and plan of open spaces. However, open spaces are defined in the Land Use Planning Act 1990 as land created as a public garden or used for public recreation, or land that is a disused burial site. The value of open space is greater when viewed in the context of the global environment rather than being considered in isolation. For example, open space plans provide an opportunity to develop intermunicipal strategies for exceptional features that require conservation efforts coordinated by multiple communities, such as large forests and watersheds. In addition, support will be provided to link new priorities for the protection of open spaces to existing protected areas. Conservation principles can be taken into account and included in the plan. In England, the National Planning Policy Framework, revised in July 2021, provides guidelines on open spaces in paragraphs 92 to 103, and there is a website with guidelines for planning policy.
The City of Kingston (Ulster County) used its NRI (2018) as the basis for developing an open space plan in 2019 that includes specific and ambitious conservation targets, including 1,000 new street trees; 5,000 linear feet of new public access to the Hudson River; and more than 600 hectares of newly protected land. In 2020, the city adopted the Open Space Plan as a complement to its overall plan. Open public space is often referred to by urban planners and landscape architects with the acronym “POS”. Different interpretations of the term are possible. Inventory of Open Conservation Areas: An inventory of open spaces within the community, each of which is identified, described and listed based on the priority of acquisition or conservation. Fortunately, awareness and measures to protect open spaces have never been more important than they are today. Citizens, land trusts, and public agencies have come together to protect many of the most beautiful countries and waters in the United States through a variety of innovative conservation approaches. In addition, many local communities have programs to conserve open spaces for a variety of purposes, from recreation to water quality to wildlife habitat. While land use planning is a potentially effective long-term solution to future ecological decline, research-based evidence suggests that existing land use plans are too weak to promote development that recognizes ecological systems. In addition, public apathy and lack of political will can also hamper conservation planning efforts. In fact, communities sometimes adopt public land use policies that unknowingly encourage losses. Open Space is a country that is not intensively developed for residential, commercial, industrial or institutional purposes.
It serves many purposes, whether it is public or private property. It includes agricultural and forest land, undeveloped coastlines, undeveloped scenic lands, public parks and nature reserves. It also includes bodies of water such as lakes and bays. What is defined as an open space depends in part on its environment. A vacant lot, a community garden or a small swamp can be open spaces in a big city. A narrow corridor or path for walking or cycling is an open space, although it is surrounded by built-up areas. Historical and archaeological sites are often associated with important open spaces and are part of our common heritage. Many people don`t realize the power that local communities have to determine their own future.
In fact, a landmark Supreme Court decision in 1926 — Village of Euclid, Ohio v. Ambler Realty Co. — stated that “each community has the right to determine its own character and type of development internally.” This right includes decisions about whether or not to grow, grow, and how to obtain free space and other resources that the community finds valuable. There may be access rights that are recognized and registered by law, for example when land is registered as community land or urban/village greenery, and some open public spaces.