2. 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.
4. 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?
9. The
Answer?
All
of
the
above
.
.
.
and
more.
But
how
do
you
prove
it?
10. Step
One:
Think
Big
What
sectors
of
the
local
economy
might
a
trail
system
impact
the
most?
• Fiscal
• Transporta%on
• Environmental
• Public
Health
11. Step
Two:
Dig
In
How
do
those
benefits
break
down?
Individual
Benefits
Community
Benefits
• Recrea;on
Costs
• Air
Quality
• Health
Care
Cost
• Carbon
Sequestra;on
Savings
• Ecosystem
Services
• Vehicle
Opera;ng
• Clean
Water
Cost
Savings
• Crash
Risk
Reduc;on
• Property
Value
Premiums
12. Are
You
Sure
You
Can
Quan%fy
All
These
Things?
Yes.
And
more…
14. 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
15. 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
18. The
Bayou
Greenway
Numbers
So,
It
Costs
$490
Million
to
Construct
300
Miles
of
Trails
and
You
Es%mate
that
it
Will
Generate
What…?
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. Low Moderate High
Brays Bayou $15,308,931 $17,199,497 $20,710,549
Buffalo Bayou $13,878,209 $15,713,039 $19,120,580
Clear Creek $8,392,015 $9,278,097 $10,923,679
Cypress Creek $15,313,593 $16,953,254 $19,998,337
Greens Bayou $9,965,658 $11,044,379 $13,047,717
Halls Bayou $8,292,679 $9,156,965 $10,762,067
Hunting Bayou $5,369,813 $5,884,420 $6,840,121
Sims Bayou $7,546,295 $8,606,832 $10,576,401
Spring Creek $12,936,962 $14,180,246 $16,489,203
White Oak Bayou $14,740,296 $16,324,877 $19,267,671
$111,750,244 $124,347,400 $147,742,119
19. 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
21. 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
22. Major
Metro
Commute
Shares
And
Benefits
Now
Just
For
Fun…
Let’s
Compare
Some
Ci;es
Very
Unscien;fically
City Bicycle Commute Low Moderate High
Share (12)
Dallas 0.15% $103,818,083 $115,038,240 $127,302,132
Houston (As Calculated Above) 0.38% $111,750,244 $124,347,400 $147,742,119
Houston (2000) 0.46% $113,297,283 $126,135,230 $152,959,232
Atlanta 1.10% $132,867,244 $149,045,144 $205,928,729
Chicago 1.15% $135,581,198 $152,253,905 $212,328,580
San Antonio / Pittsburg 1.40% $142,040,663 $159,784,167 $230,758,181
Denver 1.81% $154,577,669 $174,460,831 $264,691,765
Portland 5.81% $276,889,926 $317,647,797 $595,751,120
(12) Commute Share Percentages are per the League of American Bicyclists (2009, 70 Largest US Cities).
Each .01% (0.0001) increase in commute share generates $329,654 (moderate).
30. 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.
