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Growing Closer 1  <br />to achieve a different sort of mobility and convenience. It <br />compels us to embrace alternative transportation at a policy <br />level and to choose it on a personal level. In this sense the <br />psychological gap between 1 and 6 units an acre can be <br />immense. But in order to make density fulfill its promise of <br />a better living environment, living closer together must be <br />accompanied by a willingness to drive less and walk or <br />ride more. <br />One of the most significant benefits of density is the poten- <br />tial to save open land from development. Homeowners may <br />be more willing to forgo a big yard if they have access to large <br />tracts of natural land for recreation. Like context and transpor- <br />tation, open space is a key issue in planning for density. Which <br />areas are protected, where they are located, and how they are <br />managed are decisions that need to be addressed through town <br />and regional planning. Like a good transportation system, open <br />space should be extensive, varied, interconnected, and acces- <br />sible to all neighborhoods. <br />This is not a new concept. Frederick Law Olmsted advo- <br />cated for open space networks in the nineteenth century and <br />convinced many cities to build them. He believed that dense <br />urban environments required the counterbalancing effects of <br />green oases and that the restorative power of nature must be <br />available to all city dwellers. Olmsted designed city parks to <br />fill this need, but also suggested they be linked across a city or <br />region by greenways. His advice that no neighborhood be more <br />8349.25 <br />San Francisco, California