ABSTRACT
Weatherproofing the American house – the nation – requires a fundamental rethinking of the national urban landscape. Smart growth provides vital guidance–more compact, walkable, transit-oriented communities that preserve open land represent positive development goals. Initiatives such as the Atlanta Beltline and the Trinity River Corridor Project (TRCP) represent major works of green infrastructure aiming to effect the desirability of core urban areas as denser living and working environments. A study by the National Trust for Public Land suggests that an acre of urban parkland generates approximately $900 in annual economic benefits, accruing from direct usage, improved personal health, tourist visitation, and increased property taxes, among other factors. It is safe to conclude that urban environments developed under a "greened-acres" program, such as Philadelphia's, would be more desirable places to live and work than areas lacking the same degree of amenity.
