• Research
  • Center for City Park Excellence
  • Center for Conservation Finance
  • Center for Land & People
  • Center for Land & Water
  • Benefits of Parks
  • Brownfields to Parks
  • Park Equity & Public Health Toolkit

Measuring the Economic Value of a City Park System

In 2003, The Trust for Public Land's Center for City Park Excellence gathered two dozen park experts and economists in Philadelphia for a colloquium to analyze how park systems economically benefit cities. Based on this conversation and subsequent consultation with other leading economists and academics, the center identified seven attributes of city park systems that provide economic value and can be measured. While not every aspect of a park system can be quantified, this report examines seven major factors:

• Property value
• Tourism
• Direct use
• Health
• Community cohesion
• Clean water
• Clean air

While the science of city park economics is still in its infancy, TPL has worked to carefully consider and analyze these values. After describing the value factor and the rationale for calculating it, this report provides real-life example of the mathematical outcomes, based on the first five test cases undertaken in this program—the cities of Washington, D.C., San Diego, Boston, Sacramento, and Philadelphia. 30 pages.

Download the report here

TPL has also completed studies in individual cities measuring the economic value of their parks:
Philadelphia Park Value Report
Wilmington, Delaware Park Value Report

Updated 12/2009