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Hastings brought their own insights of cherished viewsheds and open spaces near their homes. "Ir was interesting to see," Chamberlain notes, "how people from Rose- mo~tnt and Ravenna saw different places." The public process led to a broader consensus that Hastings was part of a larger visual and ecological region---one that new parches of strip development and large lot ho~sing from the Twin Cities clearly threaten. "Many people were very articulate about rural character," Chamberlain observes. "They feel a sense of loss about the agriculture being lost ro development." During the public workshops, HKGi tried to raise awareness that greenways are more than manicured pathways and can sup- port species migration, diversity, aquifer recharge, wetlands, and steep slopes, among other factors. HKGi developed a site- sensitivity map that located these ecological qualities in Hast- ings and in townships to the north and south. When overlaid with the map of residents' cherished places, there emerged a re- markable similarity of human perception and ecological value. To address potential concerns about the imposition ofgreenways onto private lands, HKGi also developed six bird's-eye views that show how ecological corridors can coexist with varying land uses, including housing, industrial, and agricuirm'al. The drawings il- lustrate how greenways can link woodlots, streambeds, and parks with minima~ disruption of development. places like Pine Bend IBluff~ and Spring awareness of the river and to support [and take Reserve haYe names that are gert- conservation. The Friends chose Dakota erations old, a~esting to tine deep pon- County as their first target for open-space nection between people and place, protection because of its rapid growth and the relatively large areas of undeveloped land in the watershed. Both an ecologist and public policy spe- cialist, Lewanski can speak the language of public funding while building enthusiasm for species diversity and conservation. Originally, HKGi worked with Hastings on a greenway plan only for the city kself. But ultimately, by allying with the Friends of the Mississippi, the team encouraged Hastings to think more broadly about its open-space planning and to in- dude neighboring communities that alrimately comprised 55,000 acres of land spreading over six townships. The resulting plan locates new greenways along corridors and ridges. They are desigr~ed for a minimum of 150 feet in width to accommodate species migration. On the southern edge of Hast- ings, a wide swath called the "Hastings Traverse" is the one piece of the system not located for ecological diversity. Rather, resi- dents wanted to create a defined edge, a kind of greenbelt for Hastings to preserve the sense of the rttral character rhar ~hey clearly value. Linking several greenways set in stream valleys, the Traverse will become an important recreational connector with- in the area's web of hydrology. Park system m~er plans are s~and~d f~e ibr many Nndscape archkect~e fir~. What sets ~he Mississippi Greenway Strategic Plan ap~ are its scale, ks ecologic~ emphais, and ~he involvement of~he S~. Pa~-baed Friends o( ~he Mississippi, a nonprofit group char wor~ with HKGi in landowner ou~rmch, im- piemenm~om ~d punic polio. Tom Lewanski, the conse~a~ion director of ~he Friends of ~he Mississippi, works with communities like Harings up raise To help local residents envision how green- ways could fit into the landscape, HKGi pre- pared a series of bird's-eye sketches showing local scenes as they exist today and with hypothetical greenways added. [~,tndscape,4~'o,Sttecture 42 I FEBRUA~.¥ 2003