Quan%fying  the  Economic  Benefits  of  Linear  Parks,  Trails  and  Open  Space  

February  2012  

Parks  And  Trails  Are  Good  

Right?        

Yes.      

But  its  becoming  increasingly  important  to  be  able  to  quan;fy  the  value  of,  or  provide  an  ROI  for,  green  infrastructure.  

Case  Study:  Houston  Parks  Board  

Bayou  Greenway  Ini;a;ve  

The  Big  Ques%on  If  a  community  invests  $490  million  to  build  300  miles  of  trails  along  10  bayous,  what    will  they  get  in  return?    

What  are  the  benefits?    

More  Kid  Stuff?  

More  CriMers?  

Fewer  Cars?  

A  Cooler  Cool?  

The  Answer?  All  of  the  above  .  .  .    and  more.    

But  how  do  you  prove  it?  

Step  One:  Think  Big  

•  Fiscal    •  Transporta%on  •  Environmental    •  Public  Health    

What  sectors  of  the  local  economy  might  a    trail  system  impact  the  most?  

Step  Two:  Dig  In  

Individual  Benefits  •  Recrea;on  Costs  •  Health  Care  Cost  Savings  

•  Vehicle  Opera;ng  Cost  Savings  

•  Crash  Risk  Reduc;on  •  Property  Value  Premiums  

Community  Benefits  •  Air  Quality  •  Carbon  Sequestra;on  •  Ecosystem  Services  •  Clean  Water  

How  do  those  benefits  break  down?  

Are  You  Sure  You  Can  Quan%fy  All  These  Things?  

Yes.    

And  more…  

 The  Bayou  Greenway  Ini%a%ve                            

Trails  Benefits  Model  

Here’s  How  It  Works  • Most  benefits  are  derived  from  the  number  of  individuals  who  can  be  expected  to  use  the  trails  in  some  form  –  cyclists,  hikers,  runners,  walkers,  general  recrea;onal  users,  and  commuters  

 

•  User  counts  are  predicated  on  popula;on  proximity  to  the  park/trail  system  with  1.5  miles  being  the  limit  of  influence  

 

•  Using  popula;on  counts  within  1.5  miles  on  either  side  of  the  park/trail  created  a  3  mile-­‐wide  band  overlaying  the  en;re  system  

Basis  of  the  Model  •  User  predic;ons,  the  key  to  es;ma;ng  impact  and  benefits,  

are  based  on  work  developed  in  coopera;on  with  the  Federal  Highway  Administra;on  

 

•  Assump;ons  and  methodologies  have  been  reviewed  and  discussed  with  experts  at  Rice  University,  Texas  A&M,  Baylor  College  of  Medicine,  Harris  County  Flood  Control,  and  Houston-­‐Galveston  Area  Council  (H-­‐GAC)      

 

•  Data  provided  by  H-­‐GAC,  HCAD,  Trust  for  Public  Lands,  U.S.  Army  Corps  of  Engineers,  U.S.  Census  Bureau,  Texas  Transporta;on  Ins;tute,  League  of  American  Bicyclists,  Houston  Parks  Board  

The  Bayou  Greenway  Map  

The  Model’s  Ameba  Map  

The  Bayou  Greenway  Numbers  So,  It  Costs  $490  Million  to  Construct  300  Miles  of  Trails  and  You  Es%mate  that  it  Will  Generate  What…?    

Low Moderate HighBrays Bayou $15,308,931 $17,199,497 $20,710,549Buffalo Bayou $13,878,209 $15,713,039 $19,120,580Clear Creek $8,392,015 $9,278,097 $10,923,679Cypress Creek $15,313,593 $16,953,254 $19,998,337Greens Bayou $9,965,658 $11,044,379 $13,047,717Halls Bayou $8,292,679 $9,156,965 $10,762,067Hunting Bayou $5,369,813 $5,884,420 $6,840,121Sims Bayou $7,546,295 $8,606,832 $10,576,401Spring Creek $12,936,962 $14,180,246 $16,489,203White Oak Bayou $14,740,296 $16,324,877 $19,267,671

$111,750,244 $124,347,400 $147,742,119

Total Annual Benefits Aggregated: Recreation and Health benefit values are projected at Low, Moderate and High levels based on the number of potential users; Vehicle Operating Cost Savings, Crash Reduction, Air Quality, Carbon Sequestration, Ecosystem Services, Clean Water and Property Value benefits are held constant.

Bayou  Greenway  Numbers    By  Category  

Recreation Benefits $ 63,209,711 Health Benefits $ 13,927,262 Vehicle Operating Cost Savings / Congestion Relief $ 3,778,207 Crash Reduction $ 280,336 Air Quality: VOC, Nox, CO2 $ 140,690 Carbon Sequestration $ 5,794 EcoSystem Services $ 20,972,475 Clean Water $ 390,890 Property Value $ 21,642,036 Estimated Annual Total (Moderate) $124,347,400

The  Bayou  Greenway’s  BoMom  Line  

Here  Are  Some  Factoids  •  The  model  is  constructed  to  calculate  benefits  for  each  category  for  each  of  70  segments  within  the  10  Bayous  allowing  for  more  detailed  future  analysis  as  needed  

 

•  It  contains  “hot  box”  cells  so  assump;ons  can  be  changed  for  easy  scenario  tes;ng  or  to  update  outdated  data  

 

•  It  is  flexible  and  can  be  calibrated  to  reflect  condi;ons  anywhere  

 

Major  Metro  Commute  Shares  And  Benefits  

Now  Just  For  Fun…  Let’s  Compare  Some  Ci;es  Very  Unscien;fically  

Low Moderate High

Dallas 0.15% $103,818,083 $115,038,240 $127,302,1320.38% $111,750,244 $124,347,400 $147,742,119

Houston (2000) 0.46% $113,297,283 $126,135,230 $152,959,2321.10% $132,867,244 $149,045,144 $205,928,7291.15% $135,581,198 $152,253,905 $212,328,5801.40% $142,040,663 $159,784,167 $230,758,181

Denver 1.81% $154,577,669 $174,460,831 $264,691,765Portland 5.81% $276,889,926 $317,647,797 $595,751,120

AtlantaChicagoSan Antonio / Pittsburg

(12) Commute Share Percentages are per the League of American Bicyclists (2009, 70 Largest US Cities).

City Bicycle Commute Share (12)

Houston (As Calculated Above)

Each .01% (0.0001) increase in commute share generates $329,654 (moderate).

Modeling  Green  Infrastructure  

Going  Forward  

So,  What  Else  Can  You  Do  Once  You  Quan%fy  Green  Benefits?  

   

Lots…  

Public  Engagement…    

Scenario  Evalua%ons…    

Strategic  Planning…  

Grant  Applica%ons…    

Master  Planning…  

You  Get  The  Idea  The  benefits  associated  with  linear  parks,  trails,  bikeways,  and  greenspace  are  neither  abstract  nor  rhetorical.    

Green  infrastructure  benefits  can  be  quan;fied.    

The  benefits  green  infrastructure  provides  individuals  and  communi;es  can  be  drama;c.    

And  once  the  benefits  have  been  defined,  they  can  support  green  infrastructure  ini;a;ves  in  a  variety  of  important  ways.  

 Q  and  A?  

 

Thank  You!