Open space is a collective term for a range of green places, including natural lands, farmlands, working forests, aquatic systems, regional trails, and parks. Conserving open space can help the region to achieve its goals for health, habitat, air quality, park access, climate change, and Puget Sound recovery.
Open space in the region provides many services such as clean water, food, and recreation, and has been valued at $11.5 to $25.3 billion a year.
In 2018, PSRC completed a Regional Open Space Conservation Plan, which maps the network of regionally important open space in King, Kitsap, Pierce, and Snohomish counties and identifies priority actions needed to increase access and sustain open spaces for the long term. The regional open space network covers about 3 million acres of public and private land and 339 miles of trails.
While much of the region’s important open space and critical areas have been protected through growth management and local plans, conservation needs remain. Between 2007 and 2012, the region lost almost 12,000 acres of farmland. A strong economy in the region is accelerating growth and development, which puts further pressure on the open space network. The open space plan identifies approximately 463,000 acres of the regional open space network that are most at risk, 47 areas with high-priority urban open space needs, and 300 miles of regional trail needs.
The Environment section in VISION 2050 includes more information on open space and how the region can protect and restore it.
PSRC is accepting comments on the draft VISION 2050 plan through September 16. Learn more in the online open house.