ABSTRACT
Like many plans by Frederick Law Olmsted Jr., the 1908 plan for the City of Boulder, Colorado, emphasized open space preservation, in this case calling for the preservation of a "City Forest" in the surrounding foothills, mountains, and valleys. Boulder County has created a 94,000-acre countywide open space and trail network using a wide array of preservation techniques. Environmental activists were particularly alarmed by proposals to build houses on the hillsides that the Olmsted plan had identified for open space. These citizens, who ultimately formed the group PLAN– Boulder, gathered enough signatures for a voter initiative to amend the city charter, preventing the pumping of city water to land higher than prescribed elevation called the Blue Line. The Boulder County transfer of development rights (TDR) program has generated more voluntary interjurisdictional cooperation than any other program in the nation. TDR programs often languish because cities fail to recognize the benefit of participating in the preservation of land outside their jurisdiction.
