Densely developed, urban areas are better for the planet than their rural counterparts, so it's in our best interest to make urban life the more desirable alternative. One key step to maintaining a positive city-dwelling experience, as this UK study shows, is investing in quality urban green space –- particularly those spaces that foster biodiversity.

So when Seattle's Pro Parks Levy expires at the end of this year, it's important that we contemplate the question of renewal in its larger context. Whether or not we want new green space in our own individual neighborhoods in the near future, and whether or not there are additional public improvements that we'd like to see on the ballot, the continuous development and maintenance of public parks throughout Seattle isn't just a pleasant luxury. Rather, providing these urban oases and learning centers – at what Friends of Seattle President Gary Manca estimates to be a cost of $66 per family per year – could greatly benefit the mental and physical health of our city's residents. That's one more step toward making urban living a pleasurable alternative rather than an act of altruism.

In addition to providing respite for city dwellers, Seattle's green space has an important environmental role. An excerpt from Manca's letter to the Seattle Post-Intelligencer:

Neighborhoods would also benefit, as new trails connect green spaces, underused city properties are given new life, and available properties transfer to public ownership. More trees, creeks and habitat would be preserved. New swales and rain gardens would naturally purify polluted stormwater runoff that would otherwise poison Puget Sound, the Duwamish River and our lakes. Seattle's carbon footprint would shrink as we invest in community commons that attract people to walkable hubs.

Finally, the Pro Parks Levy's record proves it has been an effective use of public funds. Since its approval in 2000, the levy has allowed Seattle to add 40 acres of new green space. Among its other accomplishments: More than 30 new neighborhood parks; development projects like habitat restoration and art installation; public programs that reach teens, seniors and others; and Zoo programming. Finally, the levy operates with transparency, inviting citizens to make recommendations for the use of the levy's Opportunity Fund via the Pro Parks Levy Oversight Committee. Read more about the Pro Parks Levy's history of accomplishments here.

According to Manca, the majority of Seattle residents are in favor of a new parks levy:

In fact, a recent poll commissioned by the City Council showed that 65 percent of Seattle voters would support a new parks levy, even if it cost as much as $240 million. According to the poll, this strong majority would hold steady even if packages for Sound Transit and Pike Place Market were also on the ballot. Voters and grass-roots organizations are in sync. More than 25 community groups, including our own, have endorsed the Green Legacy Coalition's position in favor of a new parks levy in 2008.

Read Manca's editorial in the P-I here, and read a message from Friends of Seattle – and contact your representative if you choose -- on the organization's website. See the meeting schedule for the Pro Parks Levy Oversight Committee here.