OURS Wpg (Outdoor Urban Recreational Spaces) wants the City to develop a ‘Master Plan for Green Space’ that will provide a vision for protecting, enhancing, creating, etc., green spaces in the city, while at the same time give a consistent approach to development and the relationship for green space needs. Green spaces that include the urban treed canopy, parks, river and wildlife corridors,  golf courses, recreational fields, etc., are often taken for granted and simply thought to be a cost.  The hidden benefits of these areas are also often overlooked because those metrics are harder to measure compared to dollars spent.  However, more recent studies are showing there are generally greater benefits than what it cost to have these areas.  They provide health benefits, improve liveability, clean the air, reduce energy costs by reducing the city heat island effect, mitigate flood risk, and provide biodiversity to name a few. 

Don’t let green spaces be taken for granted