Lasting Value

<p>Americans are committing <em>'country-cide'</em> says Rick Pruetz FAICP converting farms into suburban yards and channeling streams that once provided flood control water purification habitats and recreational opportunities. But rather than rail against overdevelopment this book celebrates communities succeeding in preservation. </p><p>For ten years Pruetz explored communities that excel in saving their natural environment. In twenty-four illustrated vignettes he captures the character of places from the volcanic range near downtown Albuquerque New Mexico to Minneapolis’s Grand Rounds park system to farmland improbably preserved on Long Island. </p><p>As the longtime city planner of Burbank California Pruetz offers more than an appreciation of these communities. He brings a planner’s-eye view of the practices behind their achievements. His detailed reports of creative preservation solutions mark the trail for planners commissioners and citizens who seek to preserve the green legacy in their own backyards. </p>