Boulder, CO did this: https://aboutboulder.com/blog/why-does-boulder-have-a-greenbelt/ https://aboutboulder.com/blog/why-does-boulder-have-a-greenb... There's a

Boulder, CO did this: https://aboutboulder.com/blog/why-does-boulder-have-a-greenbelt/ https://aboutboulder.com/blog/why-does-boulder-have-a-greenb... There's a fund to buy up farms and ranches around the city when they come up for sale, and develop them as open-space for hiking or wildlife preservation. Which, when coupled with building height and density limits means Boulder has housing prices like those of a city 10x its size. I live in a subdivision in a small town just on the other side of that greenbelt. Since the bus service is terrible, when I was commuting into the city it took an extra 5-10 minutes of driving through that open space to get to my office. So while I personally love having the open space, its not a panacea that solves all the problems.