The attitude towards the natural streams and creeks in real estate management can vary greatly. Building agencies may opt for covering everything up with gravel and pavement or purposeful exposure as a part of the landscape. This paper will focus mainly on the Bay Area effect of streams and creeks on the property because the author is familiar with it and can see examples in everyday life.
Changing the Nature to Fit Human Needs
Humans started to change the landscape around them centuries ago: cutting the trees for building materials, leveling the hills for convenience, and channeling the streams to have clean water access closer to home. Today, most houses worldwide have running tap water, but the presence of a creek nearby may still have an effect, either positive or negative (1). The following factors influence the interest of the Bay Area people in water sources near their homes: California forest fires, respect for nature, and cleanliness.
Hiding the Streams and the Forest Fires
The recent forest fires in California were devastating to both nature and people residing in the area. The Government institutions are putting together a plan to avoid such sacrifices in the future (3). The Bay Area is a relatively green territory but increasing urbanization has affected its ability to resist the forest fires by drying out and redirecting some of the streams to build homes. The effect of changing the natural course of the water may not be visible right away, as most of the continental hydrosphere is hidden under the surface. However, it prevents the underground flows from moisturizing the soil properly; this way, the nature of the state, in general, has less capacity to resist the forest fires.
Living in the highly risky areas of California means that the residents have to pay more for the insurance. In this sense, covering the creeks and drying the streams may lead to higher property prices. Also, the presence of a water source near the house may make the area more fire-resistant, and that could either bring the price up or down, depending on the marketing strategy.
Respect for Nature
It is common for the residents of the Bay Area to promote respect for nature. The government institutions also pay attention to ecological initiatives and include “green” solutions into their urbanization plans (2). The forests and natural water sources could be tamed and incorporated into urban life without complete destruction or covering up. Well-designed rest areas with convenient yet natural streams could make property cost go up as the region would become more prestigious.
The Cleanliness as a Factor
Creeks can be more or less attractive as a water source or a rest spot, depending on how clean they are. Garbage makes people want to reside as far away from the streams as possible (1). Such a dirty place may have a negative effect on both the property prices and the desire of customers to buy it. If the property management cannot afford to clean and maintain the water source, the best solution would be drying and covering it up.
Conclusion
For many years, humans have been tailoring nature to their needs. However, today government institutions are looking into the opportunities to live in synergy with the forests and water sources. Marketers may even position the presence of a creek near the house as an advantage. On the other side, unkept and dirty water source near the property is not attractive for potential buyers. Hiding and moving the streams may have both a positive and a negative effect on real estate.
References
Bonetti, F., Corsi, S., Orsi, L., & De Noni, I. (2016). Canals vs. streams: to what extent do water quality and proximity affect real estate values? A hedonic approach analysis [PDF document]. Web.
This source is relevant to my issue because it explains the possible connection between property prices and a nearby stream.
Grant, B., Szambelan, S., Engblom, S., Bevington, C., Errazuriz, H., Woo, J.,… Schwartz, H. (2020). Model places [PDF document] Web.
This source is relevant to my issue because it provides an overview of the housing situation in the Bay Area, its perspectives, and respect for nature.
Tam, L., Johnson, L., Exon-Smith, K., & Metwalli, J. (2020). Safety First: Improving Hazard Resilience in the Bay Area. K. Steen (Ed.). [PDF document]. Web.
This source is relevant to my issue because it touches on the subject of the recent forest fires in the Bay Area, and such disasters affect the desire of people to reside in the area.