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- Info
Urban openspace, an investment that pays
| Author: |
Fox, Tom |
| Date: |
1990 |
| Periodical: |
New York, NY: The Neighborhood Open Space Coalition |
| Abstract: |
This four part monograph series describes many of the contributions that open space makes to the economy of cities. By highlighting its impact on real estate values, public health, energy conservation and infrastructure investments and the image of the city, we will present open space as a critical element in the urban economy. Each monograph contains an overview of historic studies, academic and economic research and current projects that clearly portray the economic influence of open space. Our purpose is to show that, overall, this information demonstrates a strong economic return on public and private investments made in the creation and care of urban open space. There's an emphasis on New York City in these pages because many of the case studies were experienced firsthand in my work there. Boston is also well represented, the result of the year I spent there as a Loeb Fellow at Harvard University's Graduate School of Design. The monographs are written for citizens, and for the planners, managers and builders of cities. This series is intended to help us approach the next period in urban and metropolitan evolution by broadening our understanding of the important role open space plays in the economy of cities. Economy is very much like ecology - it can be difficult to identify all of the variables that influence any particular situation, let alone completely understand the influences of each variable. Open space shouldn't be justified by its economic benefits alone. That would diminish the importance of its many other benefits. But if this economic argument isn't made, urban open spaces will surely suffer further neglect and abuse. |
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