Environmental Planning Programs

Municipal Open Space Planning Open Space Projects Greenway Projects Water Programs

Our Open Space and Environmental Planning program maintains an inventory of protected lands, monitors locally-funded open space initiatives, conducts county and municipal natural resource inventories and open space plans, and develops multi-municipal greenway plans. View our resources on watershed planning, coastal zone management and water quality in the region. DVRPC also administers the Tri-County Water Quality Management Plan for Burlington, Camden and Gloucester counties in New Jersey and the Coastal Zone Management Program for Pennsylvania's coastal areas.

Municipal Open Space Planning

DVRPC offers open space and natural resource planning services to New Jersey municipalities to help them identify the current state of their natural resources, articulate their vision for the future, and develop specific planning tools to achieve that vision. All planning services are subsidized by DVRPC to reduce expenses to municipalities.

Open Space Projects

DVRPC's long-range plan, Horizons, contains a proposed Open Space Network which identifies an inter-connected system of open space throughout the region that should be preserved for both natural resource protection and growing recreational needs. DVRPC's Open Space Projects support implementation of the network by maintaining an up-to-date regional database of protected lands, developing open space goals, and monitoring the region's progress towards meeting those goals.

Greenway Projects

DVRPC facilitates implementation of the proposed Open Space Network by conducting local greenway implementation plans throughout the region. To date, most greenway efforts have focused on stream corridors in New Jersey. Each greenway plan is a "how-to" guide to translate the broad goal of preserving open space into concrete implementation strategies.

Water Programs

DVRPC administers the Tri-County Water Quality Management Plan for sewer service in Burlington, Camden and Gloucester counties and the Coastal Zone Management Program for development issues along the Delaware River coastline in Philadelphia, Bucks and Delaware counties. DVRPC also maintains resource information for two watershed management planning areas — the Crosswicks Creek (WMA20) and the Lower Delaware Tributaries (WMA18) — conducted as part of New Jersey's statewide watershed planning effort that took place from 2000 to 2003.