Economic Benefits of Open Space Index

Rank of open space/parks/recreation among factors used by small businesses in choosing a new business location: One1

Estimated annual value of open space to the economy of New Hampshire: $8 billion

Approximate fraction of the state's total economy this amount represents: 25 percent2

Percentage of Denver residents who in 1980 said they would pay more to live near a greenbelt or park: 16 percent

Percentage who said so in 1990: 48 percent3

Estimated gross increase in residential property value resulting from proximity to San Francisco's Golden Gate Park: $500 million to $1 billion

Increased property taxes resulting from this value: $5-$10 million4

Annual value of agricultural production in California's Central Valley: $13 billion

Estimated amount of Central Valley farmland lost to urban sprawl each year: 15,000 acres

Estimated value of agricultural production that could be saved by 2040 if Central Valley communities increased the density of development from 3 to 6 housing units per acre: $72 billion5

Estimated value of outdoor recreation to the U.S. economy in 1996: $40 billion6

Rank of recreation among all economic activities on U.S. Forest Service lands: 27

Annual economic benefits to local economies of visits to U.S. national parks: $10 billion

Annual revenue of local businesses from these visitors to U. S. national wildlife refuges in 1995: $401 million

Income from the 10,000 jobs supported by these visitors: $162.9 million8

Annual economic contribution of whitewater rafting on West Virginia's Gauley River: $20 million9

Amount spent on hiking footwear each year: $374 million10

Amount spent to maintain Maryland's Northern Central Rail Trail in 1993: $191,893

State and local taxes generated by Maryland's Northern Central Railtrail in 1993: $304,00011

Estimated cost to New York City to buy watershed lands to protect upstate drinking water supplies: $1.5 billion

Estimated cost to New York City to build a filtration plant if upstate watershed lands are developed: $6 billion to $8 billion12

Annual reduction in water treatment costs after the city of Gastonia, North Carolina, relocated its drinking water intake to a lake without surrounding development: $250,00013

Proportion of tree cover in the total land area of Atlanta, Georgia: 27 percent

Estimated annual value of this tree cover to improving Atlanta's air quality: $15 million

Additional annual economic benefits in air quality that would be realized if Atlanta's tree cover were increased to 40 percent, the proportion recommended by the forestry organization American Forests: $7 million14

Estimated value of all economic benefits generated by single acre of wetland: $150,000 to $200,00015

Approximate number of measures on state and local ballots in November 1998 concerning land conservation, parks, and smarter growth: 240

Fraction of those approved by voters: 72 percent

Amount of new funding for parks and open space triggered, directly or indirectly, by these ballot measures: $7.5 billion.16

1John L. Crompton, Lisa L. Love, and Thomas A. More, "An Empirical Study of the Role of Recreation, Parks and Open Space in Companies' (Re) Location Decisions," Journal of Park and Recreation Administration, 15:1 (Champaign, IL: American Academy for Park and Recreation Administration, 1997), 37-58.

2Associated Press, "Study: Open Space Bolsters State Economy," Concord (NH) Monitor (February 7, 1999).

3National Park Service, Rivers, Trails and Conservation Assistance Program, "Economic Impacts of Protecting Rivers, Trails, and Greenway Corridors," 4th ed. (Washington, DC: National Park Service, 1995), 1-8.

4, "The Value of Parks," Testimony before the California Assembly Committee on Water, Parks, and Wildlife, May 18, 1993.

5American Farmland Trust, "Alternatives for Future Urban Growth in California's Central Valley: The Bottom Line for Agriculture and Taxpayers,"

6Outdoor Recreation Coalition of America, "Economic Benefits of Outdoor Recreation," State of the Industry Report (1997)

7Outdoor Recreation Coalition of America

8Andrew Laughland and James Caudill, " Banking on Nature: The Economic Benefits to Local Communities of National Wildlife Refuge Visitation," (Washington, DC: U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service, Department of Economics, July 1997), v.

9National Park Service, Rivers, Trails and Conservation Assistance Program, "Economic Impacts of Protecting Rivers, Trails, and Greenway Corridors," 3rd ed. (Washington, DC: National Park Service, 1992), 5-6.

10Outdoor Recreation Coalition of America, (1997).

11Maryland Greenways Commission, "Analysis of Economic Impacts of the Northern Central Rail Trail," (Annapolis, MD: Maryland Greenways Commission, Maryland DNR, June 1994).

12John Tibbetts, "Open Space Conservation: Investing in Your Community's Economic Health," (Cambridge, MA: Lincoln Institute of Land Policy,1998), 24.

13Interview, Kathy Blaha, Trust for Public Land.

14American Forests. "The State of the Urban Forest: Assessing Tree Cover and Developing Goals," September, 1997.

15Stephen Miller, "The Economic Benefits of Open Space," Islesboro Islands Trust, (Islesboro Islands, ME: Islesboro Islands Trust, May 1992), 3. See also Association of New Jersey Environmental Commissions (ANJEC), "Open Space is a Good Investment: The Financial Argument for Open Space Protection," (Mendham, NJ: ANJEC, 1996), 9; and National Wildlife Federation,

16Phyllis Myers, State Resources Strategies, "Livability at the Ballot Box: State and Local Referenda on Parks, Conservation, and Smarter Growth, Election Day, 1998" (A report for The Brookings Institution Center on Urban and Metropolitan Policy, January 1999) Land Trust Alliance.




Please select a service to share with:

Digg del.icio.us
Facebook Favorites
Google Multiply
Newsvine Reddit
Technocrati StumbleUpon
MySpace  

[x] Close