With a rapidly urbanizing environment, there is a serious need to assess those lands that are as yet undeveloped and to identify those lands with potential for open space use. The author has developed the framework for a metropolitan open space planning department and has suggested a procedure for evaluating open space lands.

The focus of this study is primarily metropolitan open space planning but many of the techniques are applicable to rural environs and have been noted as such. As in any planning process, success is highly dependent on the active role of the community, thus the organization of the entire process has addressed this issue. The suggested department structure and planning procedure have been organized such that there is flexibility during the development of the open space plan and during the implementation phase. This will allow decisions to be made without considerable delay and provide a higher degree of community acceptance and credibility.