Economic Benefits of Open Space Protection

See the resources listed below for more information about the economic benefits of open space protection.

• The Trust for Public Land's 2005 report "Managing Growth: The Impact of Conservation and Development on Property Taxes in New Hampshire"
• The Trust for Public Land has published several reports on the Economic Benefits of Conserving Land. The reports also have an extensive bibliography.
• The American Farmland Trust has compiled a list of cost of community services. "Cost of Community Services Studies (Acrobat PDF)" details the cost in tax dollars for industrial and commercial, open space, and residential areas versus every $1 of tax revenue.
• The National Park Service and RTCA published "The Economic Impact of Protecting Rivers, Trails and Greenways Corridors. There is a good chapter on "Real Property Values."
• "Saving Land Saves Money" by the Montgomery County Lands Trust (PA) is a report that was recently updated.
• "Economic Impact of Open Space in New Hampshire" is a 1999 report prepared for The Society for the Protection of New Hampshire Forests (PDF, 140KB).
• The Open Lands Initiative Web site -- a project of the Western Governors' Association -- assists western states that are grappling with growth issues and seeking to promote the conservation of open space. Their site offers a comprehensive bibliography of the literature on the economic benefits of open space. It contains over 100 citations addressing many different dimensions of this issue -- www.westgov.org/wga/initiatives/tpl/ecoben.htm.
• "The Economic Benefits of Open Space", May 1992 by Stephen Miller -- Director of the Islesboro Islands Trust in ME.

updated 10/12/07