Viewsheds - Preserving vistas

For years, we have concerned ourselves with watersheds--those areas of land that feed into our drinking water.  But as our towns and cities sprawl ever outward, viewsheds will gain importance.  With each individual home that strives to have two acres and a view, that home is likely polluting a neighboring suburban home's pristine view of nature.  Even moreso the visual "pollution" caused by an entire subdivision in what was once a farm field.

Viewsheds need to be considered by municipalities and developers.  For municipalities, it is important to preserving the character that attracts people to the area.  For developers, it is important to extracting the maximum dollar from prospective buyers.  It is fact that homebuyers will pay more for homes fronting parkland. It is a strong selling point when the developer can guarantee an unchanging view.

We need more developments that feature "villages" clustered close together, but with shared ownership of greenbelts and parkland.

More to follow...