"The Economic Benefits of Open Space"

[Tony Chenhansa <tonyc@cpeo.org>]

The Trust for Public Land (TPL) has released a report on 5/17/99 about
the economic benefits of open space.

"The Economic Benefits of Parks and Open Space: How Land Conservation
Helps Communities Grow Smart and Protect the Bottom Line."

TPL's 48-page report features research findings and examples from around
the country. Topics include conservation as a smart-growth tool; the
role of parks and greenways in attracting business and investment; the
importance of parks in revitalizing cites; the economic benefits of
land-based tourism and recreation; the role of farms and ranches to
community economies; and the economic benefits of protecting
floodplains, watersheds and wildlife habitat

It's available in PDF format at:
http://www.igc.org/tpl/newsroom/reports/econbenz/index.html

Below is a partial list of economic benefits.

* 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

* 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

continued ...
http://www.igc.org/tpl/newsroom/reports/econbenz/benefits.html

--

[EFFECTIVE IMMEDIATELY: CPEO'S PHONE NUMBER HAS CHANGED
TO 415-405-7751. OUR FAX NUMBER IS STILL THE SAME]

Tony Chenhansa,  Program Coordinator
Center for Public Environmental Oversight (CPEO)
425 Market Street 2nd Floor, San Francisco, CA  94105
ph: 415-405-7751 fx: 415-904-7765
e-mail: tonyc@cpeo.org
http://www.cpeo.org

A program of the San Francisco Urban Institute