Green belt

The city of Ottawa, located in the middle of the map, is surrounded by the Ottawa Greenbelt

A green belt or greenbelt is a policy and land use designation used in land use planning to retain areas of largely undeveloped, wild, or agricultural land surrounding or neighbouring urban areas. Similar concepts are greenways or green wedges which have a linear character and may run through an urban area instead of around it. In essence, a green belt is an invisible line encircling a certain area, preventing development of the area allowing wildlife to return and be established.

Purposes

In those countries which have them, the stated objectives of green belt policy are to:

·                    Protect natural or semi-natural environments;

·                    Improve air quality within urban areas;

·                    Ensure that urban dwellers have access to countryside, with consequent educational and recreational opportunities; and

·                    Protect the unique character of rural communities that might otherwise be absorbed by expanding suburbs.

The green belt has many benefits for people:

·                    Walking, camping, and biking areas close to the cities and towns.

·                    Contiguous habitat network for wild plants, animals and wildlife.

·                    Cleaner air and water

·                    Better land use of areas within the bordering cities.

The effectiveness of green belts differs depending on location and country. They can often be eroded by urban rural fringe uses and sometimes, development 'jumps' over the green belt area, resulting in the creation of "satellite towns" which, although separated from the city by green belt, function more like suburbs than independent communities.