Valuing the Benefits of Creek Rehabilitation: Building a Business Case for Public Investments in Urban Green Infrastructure

Abstract

In an effort to increase the livability of its cities, public agencies in Australia are investing in green infrastructure to improve public health, reduce heat island effects and transition toward water sensitive urban design. In this paper, we present a simple and replicable approach to building a business case for green infrastructure. This approach requires much less time and resources compared to other methods for estimating the social and economic returns to society from such investments. It is a pragmatic, reasonably comprehensive approach that includes socio-demographic profile of potential users and catchment analysis to assess the economic value of community benefits of the investment. The approach has been applied to a case study area in the City of Brimbank, a western suburb of Greater Melbourne. We find that subject to a set of assumptions, a reasonable business case can be made. We estimate potential public benefits of avoided health costs of about AU$75,049 per annum and potential private benefits of AU$3.9 million. The project area is one of the most poorly serviced areas in the municipality in terms of quality open spaces and the potential beneficiaries are from relatively low income households with less than average health status and education levels. The values of cultural (recreational benefits, avoided health costs, and increased property values) and regulating (reduction in heat island effect and carbon sequestration) ecosystem services were quantified that can potentially offset annual maintenance costs.

Green Infrastructure in the Urban Environment: A Systematic Quantitative Review

“…Parker & Simpson 2018 [22]; Parker, 2017 [23]; Camerona et al 2012 [24]; Mekala et al 2014 [25]; Tzoulas et al 2007 [19]; Mathey et al 2015 [26]; Heckert & Rosan, 2018 [27].…”

“…Suppakittpaisarn et al 2017 [21]; Camerona et al 2012 [24]; Mekala et al 2014 [25]; Tzoulas et al 2007 [19]; Mathey et al 2015 [26]; Heckert & Rosan, 2018 [27]. Improved cognitive recovery Suppakittpaisarn et al 2017 [21]; Tzoulas et al 2007 [19].…”

Mapping the distributive environmental justice of urban waters

“…The interpretation of this apparent inequity in access to blue areas calls for attention to be paid to possibilities for compensating for the other groups to enjoy blue environments. Such possibilities may include public transport, secured public access, organized recreational visits, and restoration of blue areas (Mekala et al 2015). Directing these actions to concern especially inland residents in HMA, it may be possible to achieve, for instance, considerable health benefits by increasing the accessibility to coasts or other smaller water areas for various population groups, as shown by Wheeler and colleagues (2012), even though not all groups would reside on the seafront.…”

Investigating Critical Factors That Encourage Private Partners to Participate in Sports and Leisure Characteristic Town Public-Private Partnerships: Evidence from China

“…Therefore, this paper views the CT as a relatively independent space development platform with evident and distinctive industry and culture that adhere to local conditions. The roles of industry, traditional culture, environmental protection, and ecology in CT construction were identified in research abroad [32,33], and concerned the wishes and interests of these cities' residents [34,35]. CT research in China has mostly been performed from the perspectives of meaning, type, developmental status, and strategies for constructing CTs.…”