The Economic Benefits of Parks and Open Spaces.

• Author: Douglas, Jennifer Ritter
• Position: Brief Article

Lerner, Steve and Poole, William

The Trust for Public Land, 1999.

The Economic Benefits of Parks and Open Spaces is a 48-page report highlighting the fiscal benefits enjoyed by cities and counties that have maintained undeveloped land and open spaces. The main focus of the report is on so-called "smart growth," which it promotes not for its environmental benefits, but for its economic ones. The organization that produced the report, The Trust for Public Land (TPL), advocates that cities and other government units purchase open spaces to preserve them. Toward this goal, the TPL works in conjunction with public agencies to help craft, pass, and implement public finance measures for conservation; in 1998, TPL helped pass 26 of the 29 bond measures it supported. They assert that the cost of the purchase is quickly paid off through higher property values, increased tourism, and less demand for services created by "denser" development. The report...