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of potential to serve as the backbone of <br />a greenway system that links natural <br />areas with parks, trail corridors, and <br />development areas throughout the <br />community. <br />Realizing the Vision of a Greenway System <br />As the mapping image in the last figure illustrates, the inherent form of <br />the <br />ecological systems within the city offer a great deal of potential to <br />serve as the <br />backbone of a greenway system that links natural areas with parks, trail <br />corridors, and development areas throughout the community. There are, <br />however, a few critical points that need to be made if this vision is to <br />be <br />realized. First, the city is going to have to approach community <br />development <br />in a decidedly different way than in-the past if the areas that fall <br />within the <br />high ecological value zone and the ecological enhancement zone are to <br />become substantive parts of the greenway system. Conventional land <br />development practices, which respond to local zoning codes and <br />ordinances, <br />do not offer enough flexibility or incentives for developers to set aside <br />lands <br />for open space beyond that required through regulatory action, such as <br />wetland ordinances and park dedications. Instead, a more ecologically <br />sensitive approach to development will have to be adopted to achieve this <br />end. Section 7 considers this issue in greater detail. <br />The second point is that should these natural resource lands be set aside <br />in a <br />greenway system, the city and land owners will have a greater <br />responsibility <br />for their long -term stewardship. At the city level, this will require a <br />fundamental evaluation of the organization structure at the staff and <br />political <br />levels and the recognition that adequate resources (man power and <br />funding) <br />will have to be directed at resource restoration and management programs <br />if a <br />sustainable resource quality is to be achieved. <br />Interrelationship of <br />Greenways with Parks <br />and Trails <br />The conceptual idea of the greenway system as presented here is a natural <br />outgrowth of the existing park and trail system plan for the city. The 40 <br />existing <br />plan makes numerous references to the development of a greenway system <br />Hap_& Fe, peazzov_Boap5_ Xzrt .oL_1ltvo_laKw <br />10 <br />