The Highlands Corridor acts as an ecological backbone for the New  York metropolitan area, delivering fresh water, clean air, and recreational  opportunities to millions of people. Spanning over two million acres across  New York, New Jersey, and Connecticut, the Highlands face increasing pressures  from suburban expansion, industrial development, and population growth.

PORT was engaged by the Regional Plan Association to develop  actionable strategies that balance conservation and development across this  region as part of their Fourth Regional Plan. Rather than framing development  and conservation as competing interests, the plan interweaves the two through  a system of resource exchanges and incentive-based approaches. The proposed  Conservation Bank monetizes ecosystem services, allowing downstream cities to  invest in upstream conservation, creating a framework where environmental  preservation and economic growth coexist.

The Highlands were divided into three distinct zones of  intervention:

• The Great Valley: A working rural landscape where landowners are incentivized to maintain farmland and forest through sustainable practices that also address flood control, carbon sequestration, and biodiversity.
• The Highlands: Focused on the restoration of forests, wetlands, and aquifers to bolster climate resilience, increase water quality, and mitigate flooding for downstream communities.
• The Lowland Front: Strategically developed to host concentrated urban growth in areas with low ecological value, this zone ties infrastructure investment to ecosystem service upgrades.

The plan also includes an ambitious public engagement campaign to  elevate the Highlands’ identity as a unique hybrid of industry, recreation,  and ecology. By demonstrating the benefits of strategic conservation and  development, the Fourth Regional Plan ensures the Highlands remain a vital  resource for generations to come.