by John Monaghan
Lexington, Kentucky, is a horse town. Home to the International Museum of the Horse, the host city of the 2010 Alltech FEI World Equestrian Games, and countless breeders and stables, the economy of the Lexington metro area’s population of 400,000 is inherently tied to the industry. Several years ago, when the source of the city’s success was threatened by the sprawl of the growing metropolis into the open fields of Fayette County, the city took action.
To prevent further encroachment, the city of Lexington created an urban growth boundary in 2000 by establishing a program to purchase development rights from farmers. Currently 182 farms are protected, totaling a greenbelt around the city of more than 20,800 acres!
Cities don’t always have to purchase the rights but can also choose to transfer them to another location inside the city to increase density in the urban center. This way, the money comes from private development funds while still preserving the natural buffer.
Some, like economist Tim Harford, have criticized greenbelts as just a mechanism for driving up property costs by capping development where demand still exists. Despite these concerns, greenbelts have still seen success in cities like Lexington, Portland, OR, and Austin, TX, by providing a needed reprieve to city-dwellers, limiting local government service spending, and protecting agricultural, historic, and natural areas.
Do you have a greenbelt in your city? Comment here on how it’s worked!
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