Trees, Water and Health :: Green Infrastructure Co-Design for Co-Benefits
Kathleen Wolf, Ph.D.Research Social Scientist
University of Washington (Seattle)School of Environmental and Forest Sciences
US Forest Service, Pacific NW Research Station
ASCA Annual ConferenceSkamania, WA :: November 2017
Outline
trees & stormwater attenuationthe evolution
green infrastructure spaces & placeshuman health - performanceco-design exampleseconomic value
credit: EPA: Stormwater to Street Trees
credit:newgenerationplantations.net
measure the canopy of a city
credit: Middle Fork Crow River Watershed District
credit: Shane Carpani, LinkedIn
credit: Raise the Balloon
credit:ladstudios.com
credit: georgetownclimate.org
credit: Low Impact Development: A Design Manual for Urban Areas, 2010
credit: Cliff Mass
Green Stormwater Infrastructure :: Hermosillo, Mexico (6 inch rainfall)
SYSTEMS THINKING
AIRQUALITYSTORMWATER
WASTEWATER
SOLIDWASTE
CULTURALHERITAGE
BIOTA
EXERCISE&FITNESS
ACTIVEMOBILITY
CARBON
ENERGY
HEATISLAND
CONNECTVITY
SOCIALCAPITALALLERGENS
BMP’S
COMMUNITYIDENTITY
PUBLICART
NOISE
credit: American Planning Association
stormwater retention
green infrastructure tools & strategies
= mini parks?
credit: Seattle Public Utilities
stormwater management
management for co-benefits - retail
credit: SvR | MIG
credit: SvR | MIG Winslow Way, Bainbridge Island, WA
Thornton Creek Water Quality Channel (Seattle, SvR Design)1 hectare, treats runoff from 275 hectares (1 hectare = 2.47 acres)
Stormwater Management
Tanner Springs Park
Portland OR
linked to active living network
neighborhood social cohesion
environmental education & social learning
Clear Creek Basin, 2 acre stormwater detention lake, 17 acres of greenspace & parks amenities
Historic Fourth Ward, Atlanta
Outline
trees & stormwater attenuationthe evolution
precipitation dynamicssingle treesgreen stormwater infrastructurenovel ecosystemsplace and identity
Outline
trees & stormwater attenuationthe evolution
green infrastructure spaces & placeshuman health - performanceco-design exampleseconomic value
WHO Health Definition
A state of complete physical, mental, and social well-being
and not merely the absenceof disease or infirmity (1946)
Determinants of Health
Sponsors: USDA Forest Service, U&CF ProgramUniversity of WashingtonNGO partners
Thanks! to U of WA students:Katrina FloraMary Ann RozanceSarah Krueger
www.greenhealth.washington.edu
Research Reviews & Summaries
Green Cities: Good Health
design:
co-author
co-author & printing:
Hartig, T., R. Mitchell, S. de Vries, and H. Frumkin. 2014. Nature and Health. Annual Review of Public Health 35, 1: 207-228.
strength of evidence; causal mechanisms?
Frumkin, Bratman, Breslow, Cochran, Kahn, Lawler, Levin, Tandon, Varanasi, Wolf, Wood. 2017. Nature contact and human health: A research agenda. Environmental Health Perspectives 125, 7, 075001.
Landscape
Community
Gardencredit: Ignacio Bunster-Ossa
Frumkin, Bratman, Breslow, Cochran, Kahn, Lawler, Levin, Tandon, Varanasi, Wolf, Wood. 2017. Nature contact and human health: A research agenda. Environmental Health Perspectives 125, 7, 075001.
Outline
trees & stormwater attenuationthe evolution
green infrastructure spaces & placeshuman health - performanceco-design exampleseconomic value
co-benefit design opportunities
Stormwater Report, online April 2014 (search health)
place making: vertical + horizontal surfaces
design concept
design concept
bring people in!
design concept
orient seating to nature!
enablebiodiversity &soft fascination
design concept
TKF Foundation :: Nature Sacred initiative
spatial linkages:the city becomes a park
Outline
trees & stormwater attenuationthe evolution
green infrastructure spaces & placeshuman health - performanceco-design exampleseconomic value
Forest Economics 101
Economic Value of City NatureMethods Challenges
Forest Products = market goodsexcludableidentifiable ownershipexpenses-revenues= profits
Trees/Green in Cities= public goodsnon-excludablemultiple “owners”expenses-returns?
-profits?
Yard & Street TreesValue Increase Condition2% mature yard trees (greater than 9-inch dbh)
3% larger street trees (up to 100’ away)
3-5% trees in front yard landscaping 6-9% good tree cover in a neighborhood10-15% mature trees in high-income
neighborhoods
multiple studies: Green Cities: Good Health > Local Economics
Tree Retention In DevelopmentValue Increase Condition18% building lots with substantial mature tree
cover22% tree-covered undeveloped acreage19-35% lots bordering suburban wooded
preserves37% open land that is two-thirds wooded
Parks & Open Spaceproximate principle
Value Increase Condition10% inner city home located within 1/4 mile of
a park17% home near cleaned-up vacant lot20% home adjacent to or fronting a passive
park area32% residential development adjacent to
greenbelts
Local Government BenefitsCivic Investment – Public Goodslike schools, emergency response, roads
l street trees average positive effect on house valuesl added up across Portland, Oregonl yields a total value of $1.35 billion USDl potentially increasing annual property tax revenues
$15.3 million USDDonovan & Butry. 2010Landscape and Urban Planning
Trees & Retail Environments Research
Wolf, K.L. 2005. Business District Streetscapes, Trees, and Consumer Response. Journal of Forestry 103, 8: 396-400.
Place Marketing
Relationship Marketing3. Product Pricing
• higher willingness to pay for all types of goods
• higher in districts with trees – 9-12%
1. Place Perceptions• Place Character• Interaction with Merchants• Quality of Products
2. Patronage Behavior• travel time, travel distance• duration & frequency of visits• willingness to pay for parking
the Chenoggye freeway in Seoul~ 1970-2005
Cheonoggyecheon Stream Restoration
8.4 km, $900 M
The High Line :: June 2009
1.45-mile-long (2.33 km)
elevated linear park, greenway
and rail trail
credit: NY City Parks
credit: NY City Parks
former New York Central Railroad spur,
Manhattan
Economic Impacts� between 2003 and 2011
� nearby property values increased 103% (despite deep recession)
� $2 billion USD was invested in nearby properties development
hedonic analysis of propertiesstudies of trees in business districtsurban open space conversions
deeproot.com
economic value
urban forests = human habitat
What are the economic values of nature and human health benefits?
source.wisegeek.com
• What are the benefits?
• Who experiences nature and gets benefits?
• What is the green condition or situation that provides benefits?
• Scale of value question (i.e., community, province/state, nation)
• What are the costs/income gained/lost associated with these benefits?
Elements of Economic Valuation
• scale of individual to community
screen for benefits
• urban forestry, parks, gardens, etc.
green condition • market &
non-market
valuation strategy
Analysis Process
process #1: screen for benefits
10% increase in tree-canopy coverwithin 50m of a house
= lower number of low weight births (1.42 per 1000 births)
Donovan et al., Health & Place 2011; Hystad et al., Env Health Perspectives 2014
Urban Forests and Newbornsthe natural environment may affect pregnancy outcomes . . .
Hygiene Hypothesis
71
presence of soil bacteria in body, Mycobacterium vaccae = increased seratoninboost immune functionmay alleviate depression (dirt or Prozac?)
Lowry et al. 2007. Neuroscience
Eat Dirt!
ADHD and nature contact• 17 children aged 7-12 with
diagnosed ADHD• 20-minute guided
walks• Park• Neighborhood• Downtown
• Pre-walk puzzles• Post-walk cognitive test
Faber Taylor & Kuo. 2009. Journal of Attention Disorders
America’s State of Mind, Medco Health Solutions, Inc
% of Americans Ages 20-44 on ADHD Meds
2001 - 2010
parks, active living, active transit 75
CDC moderate activity recommendations
Parks Prescription
Parks Prescription
Dr. Robert Zarr ‘walk with a doc’
Shinrin yoku (forest bathing)
• extensive research
• restorative experiences
• workers retirees
• networkedsystem, 52 bases in Japan
complexity - productivity
20 adults with major depression walk in a park setting and an urban setting
50-minute walks one week apartbefore-after testing:
Mood: Positive and Negative Affect (PANAS)Cognition: Backward Digit Span (BDS)
Improving Depression Berman et al. 2012. Journal of Affective Disorders
cognitive and affective improvements after walking in a nature setting
America’s State of Mind, Medco Health Solutions, Inc
% of U.S. Population Using Mental Health Medications
2001 vs 2010
Alzheimer’s Disease & DementiaProvide wander gardens & horticulture therapy
10.5% reduction in amount of medications used in dementia facility30% fewer falls, accompanied by a reduction in fall severity
Detweiler et al. 2009. American Journal of Alzheimer’s Disease and Other Dementias
www.rph.org/eden.html
Tim Lynch Associates
process #2: understand green condition
Diversity in Metro Nature
Frumkin, Bratman, Breslow, Cochran, Kahn, Lawler, Levin, Tandon, Varanasi, Wolf, Wood. 2017. Nature contact and human health: A research agenda. Environmental Health Perspectives 125, 7, 075001.
Prison Inmates :: nature videossolitary confinement, video room/exercise option
Nadkarni et al. 2017. Impacts of nature imagery on people in severely nature-deprived environments. Frontiers in Ecology and the Environment.
• felt significantly calmer, less irritable, more empathetic
• committed 26% fewer violent infractions
process #3: apply valuation strategy
• factor income
• avoided or replacement cost
• burden of illness
• hedonic pricing
• stated preference/contingent valuation
• revealed preference (e.g., travel cost)
• quality adjusted life years
• benefit/cost
Valuation StrategiesBenefits Transfer approaches
Natural Resources Valuation
travel cost income loss
hedonic margin willingness to pay
Valuation SourcesBenefit x Nature x Health Outcome
common values: avoided costs & burden of illness
What is the Value?
• scale of individual to community
screen for benefits
• urban forestry, parks, gardens, etc.
green condition • market &
non-market
valuation strategy
Analysis Process
Millions of U.S. Dollars (2012)
Wolf, K.L., M.K. Measells, S.C. Grado, A.S.T. Robbins. 2015. Economic values of metro nature health benefits: A life course approach. Urban Forestry and Urban Greening.
Summary Table
design:
author:
printing:
contributing analysts: Dr. Stephen Grado & Marcus Measells, MSU; Dr. Alicia Robbins, Weyerhaueser
Summary
• trees as a green infrastructure element
• co-design for co-benefits
• eco + human health performance
• health outcomes evidence
• economic consequences, return on investment
Avoided Costs Potential?$3 trillion
17% of US GDP
$222 billion $134 billion $57 billion
Donovan. 2017. Including public-health benefits of trees in urban forestry decision making. Urban Forestry & Urban Greening
cost + market, income approachesenvironmental/economic benefitscontext (site use, heritage, location)
Arborist News, October 2016
Urban Forests for Human Health:A Focused Economic Valuation
Support arboriculture researchwith a donation to the TREE Fund
Healthy trees are rooted in research!Donate now at www.treefund.org
Cultivating Innovation in Arboriculture and Urban ForestryTREE Fund٠ 552 S. Washington St., Ste. 109, Naperville, IL 60540
www.naturewithin.info
