by Kathleen S. Mitten

What does farmland preservation have to do with Urban Development and Revitalization? Everything, it turns out.

For example, one of the great successes of farmland preservation is the Amish country of Lancaster County, Pennsylvania. If you haven't been there, you must have heard many people rave about the picturesque farms and the vibrant country life that is, at the same time, one of the great tourist attractions of America. If it weren't for the efforts of preservationists, all would be history, and urban sprawl would have overwhelmed the county. Among the members of this force of farmland preservationists is, amazingly, the City of Philadelphia.

Why would farmers and cities be on the same team? Growth in the fringe townships is directly related to lack of reinvestment in the city. Converting farmland to developed but lightly populated subdivisions creates pressure for roads, sewers, schools, police and fire protection that can never be paid for by the new residents alone. They need state and federal dollars. Farmers feel the pressure to sell out when new houses surround their land and their machinery is tailgated off the rural roads. Thus, farmers have been looking for political partners to help them stay in business, growing the variety of produce that makes the state an agricultural leader and living the country life they have chosen.

Feeling the pinch of eroding tax bases, older, grayer suburbs are having a hard time attracting younger residents and consumers. Feeling the pain of abandonment, cities are living with decimated neighborhoods and a decayed economy while development booms in the outer rings of metropolitan areas.

Finding win/win solutions is the goal. How to do that? Forming new alliances and working together is the only way to achieve a prosperous economy for all. Taking an up-close look at the problems and solutions already apparent is a one great way to start.

The Ultimate Farmland Preservation Bus Tours, which took place in March 1998 and 1999, sponsored by the Michigan Farm Bureau and Rural Development Council of Michigan, was one such terrific, issue-oriented excursion. People on the tour are a collection of Michigan farmers, community leaders, land use experts, realtors, developers, students, conservationists, and legislators. When it was over, people knew the concerns of the different players. They were more mindful of the political heartbreaks suffered and lessons learned by those who are working to save cities and farms and spend tax money so that all areas benefit.

One such trip can change forever expectations and dreams for what is possible. A local version of this kind of tour (e.g., drive from Jefferson up Van Dyke to 36 Mile Road or up I-75 from Melvindale to Great Lakes Crossing) can be illustrative and even shocking. On one hand, the costs of sprawl in terms of wasted human resources, environmental disaster, and financial fallout is more than any article can relay. On the other hand, the stock markets have not yet seen the mind-boggling profit that could be realized by reinvigorating the people in Michigan cities, and by protecting the rural lives and land of Michigan farmers.

It may be a common conception that peaceful co-existence and mutual respect among dwellers in urban, suburban, and rural lifestyles are crucial. And, we know that no individual element of our society can continue to flourish without the cooperation of the others. But, what can you do? Please, personally call upon the advocates for each lifestyle to realize their interdependent role in securing and nurturing functional prosperity for everyone.

Vicious cycles of poverty, disinvestment and decline can and should be replaced by creative cycles of self-sufficiency, reinvestment, and economic re-development. Attitudes that encourage repairing, renovating, rebuilding, recycling and improving can prevail. You can insist.

We need all the wisdom and savvy of all the players to be directed toward cooperative efforts that would create jobs for all skill and interest levels. We need solutions that enhance neighborhoods, parks and shopping for the cities of Detroit, Mt. Clemens, Pontiac and Flint as well as the entire metroplex. Our political and personal choices are directly linked to protecting human and wildlife habitats.

Look at the boom economy we live in. See that we have creative inspiration at our command. No one needs to be penalized, taxed or constrained. Let the battles degenerate and the building begin.