Democratic Spaces: Land Preservation in New England, 1850–2010

New England has a dense pattern of protected areas, representing more than a century of preservation efforts by philanthropic foundations, planning professionals, state agencies, and community-based conservation organizations. These green spaces highlight one of the most significant advances in land stewardship in US history. Democratic Spaces explains how these protected places came into being and what they represent for New Englanders and the nation.

Format: Paperback / softback
Length: 304 pages
Publication date: 22 December 2023
Publisher: University of Massachusetts Press

A contemporary map of New England, scaled to the township level, reveals a dense pattern of protected areas encircling nearly every town and city in the region. These green spaces, spanning from large rural expanses to urban oases, represent more than a century of dedicated preservation efforts on the part of philanthropic foundations, planning professionals, state agencies, and most importantly, community-based conservation organizations. Collectively, they showcase one of the most significant advancements in land stewardship in the United States' history.

In his book, Democratic Spaces, author John R. Niles explores the origins and significance of these protected places for New Englanders and the nation as a whole. While early New Englanders strived to safeguard local fish, timber, and game resources from external exploitation, there were no land-stewardship organizations in existence prior to the establishment of the Trustees of Public Reservations in Boston in 1891. Over a century of remarkable transformation, New England preservationists, through this and other smaller community-based land trusts, have preserved open spaces for an ever-expanding circle of citizens.

Dimension: 229 x 152 (mm)
ISBN-13: 9781625347572