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Although it may seem counterintuitive, green space within and around cities provides social, economic, and environmental advantages. Generally, people assume that for each green space a business, home, or transportation route will add more economic value to an urban system. However, this is not necessarily true. Ecotourism is one of the fastest growing sectors of the tourism industry, and green spaces, such as parks and trails, are popular destinations for tourists. The 20-mile trail through Baltimore County, Maryland, attracts 450,000 visitors annually. It is estimated that these ecotourists spend $3.38 million on trail-related purchases annually (Maryland Greenway Commission). According to the Profile of Tennessee, travel and tourism employ the greatest number of people in the state. In 2006, this accounted for 50,410 jobs and $2.9 billion in economic impact for Shelby County alone.
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But how much of this economic impact comes from greet space, and h know the value of green economists evaluate the energy, and ecosystem services that affect particular economies such as Memphis. With these data, they can put a "price" to services provided by the interaction between humans and the local ecosystem. Important in this process is evaluation of sustainable development, leaving something behind for generations to come.
For hundreds of years, neighborhood parks have coexisted with urban areas. Parks are green spaces where people gather, and although not measurable in easily q terms, they are necessary for creating a sense of community (see Map 1).
Within Shelby County government, the Land acquires property for roadway improvement, libraries, government facilities, and parks. In order to reduce the burden on taxpayers and improve the quality of life for all citizens, the local government has asked the appropriate neighborhood associations to manage their local parks. Larger parks, such as Shelby Farms Park, are maintained by private non-profit and/or public management systems. However, if Shelby Farms is four times larger than New York s Central Park, why does it have considerably less visitors? New York City s Central Park has 25 million visitors annually.
In 2001, the American Planning Association helped to establish a comprehensive development plan for Memphis and Shelby County. From this plan came four major needs for future development: safe neighborhoods and a sense of community, wise use of tax dollars, expanded green spaces and protected natural spaces, and options for transportation. A drive to revitalize the Memphis city area through neighborhood and the development of light rail was recommended. In hard economic times where technological innovations cost millions and millions of dollars, what if this same mission could be achieved through a greenway system instead? This revitalization could include green space, attractions that can be reached by walking or biking, and park systems that offer more than a swing set and picnic table (see Table 1).
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So what is a greenway? Greenways are linear parks or corridors of protected or managed lands generally following natural features (such as the Mississippi and Wolf rivers in Shelby County), utility rights-of-way, or transportation mutes. Greenways provide connections linking historic attractions, federal, state, and local parks, major businesses, colleges and universities, or combinations of these sites. These connections have been shown to provide an enhanced quality of life for the urban citizen by adding close-to-home outdoor recreation, organized sports facilities, trails that connect communities, outdoor classrooms for education, and increased personal health and fitness. Also, sports (canoeing, hiking, biking, etc.) provide the added benefit of ecotourism dollars.
Let's not forget a reduction in pollutants! Greenways reduce noise and air pollution and contain native plants that naturally clean the air and water by removing pollutants. In Atlanta according to the Trust for Public Land, air pollution reduction from trees is worth $15 million; it is estimated that Shelby County could receive a $6 million benefit.
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From an ecological standpoint greenways also reduce river erosion (see plans for the development of the Nonconnah Greenbelt, Wolf River Restoration Project, Big Creek Millington Feasibility Plan, Lucius Birch Natural Area Gateway, and the Oliver Creek Watershed Master Plan), protect some of the remaining urban green environment, provide alternative uses for otherwise unused lands, and may create corridors for movement of urban wildlife. Although it is currently unknown whether the formation of manmade corridors for wildlife movement will help maintain urban biodiversity in Shelby County, efforts must be made to connect fragmented lands. Corridors may allow for gene flow between separate wildlife populations, potentially improving the health of those populations.
Certainly, businesses will benefit from close association to the greenway and/or providing the necessary equipment for participants utilizing the greenway. Employers may also see the added health benefit for their employees if they are located near an access point to the greenway. Overall, the greenway should increase property values, decrease crime, attract new and existing employers, and create a better quality of life for all Memphis citizens (as seen in the Chicago Wilderness Plan, much can be gained from these natural areas).
Shelby County Mayor A.C. Wharton proposes an initiative that will allow the county to protect the environment, reinvest in urban areas, and bring economic opportunity to all residents. Mayor Wharton's Sustainable Shelby agenda calls for a mix of new construction in flood plains, wetlands, and previously underdeveloped areas. The Mayor is developing plans with city and county partners to unite neighborhood trails,' bikeways, and park systems. The Shelby County Conservation Board is acquiring lands that will connect with already held properties to establish this greenway, and people eventually will be able to enjoy the social and physical benefits green spaces provide.
Initially, money available to support this type of forward-thinking development has come from government grants. The EPA selected Shelby County for a Brownfield assessment grant. The grant supported the environmental assessment of the CSX rail line, community outreach, and partial greenway establishment. These funds will help convert the old CSX rail line into a trail converging at Shelby Farms Park (see Map 2 for plans to connect Shelby Farms and other current/proposed greenways in the county). Through these connections and other plans mentioned previously, we will get the use, healthful community, environmental protection, and visitors necessary to generate ecotourism dollars in Memphis.
Consider this: the second most visited house in the nation, Graceland, is found right here in Memphis. The city of Memphis is known for great basketball, BBQ, and music. What if we connected them all with a greenway and became the largest and most visited park system in the United States. Wouldn't those folks in New York be jealous then?
References
The Bodine Street Community Garden, www.savethegarden.com.
Chicago Wilderness, www.chicagowilderness.org.
City of New York Parks & Recreation and Central Parks Conservancy. 2006. "Parks Department and Central Park Conservancy to Renew Historic Partnership for Another 8 Years." New York City Department of Parks Recreation, 28 April 2006, http://www.nycgovparks.org /sub_newsroom/press_releases/press_releases.php?id=19774.
Langlois, Terry. The Community Compact: A Comprehensive Plan for Memphis and Shelby County, Tennessee. Comprehensive Planning Section, Memphis & Shelby County Office of Planning, 2001.
Flore, Kristina. "Urban Green Space Keeps Kids from Getting Fat." MedPage Today, 30 October 2008, http://www.medpagetoday.com/Pediatrics/Obesity/11549.
Greater Memphis Greenline: A 13 Mile Multi-Use Trail Through the City of Memphis, www.greatermemphisgreenline.org.
Shelby County Tennessee, www.shelbycountytn.gov.
Smart Growth News, Smart Growth Online, www.smartgrowth.org/news/bystate.
Tennessee Department of Tourist Development. Tennessee Department of Tourist Development's Annual Report and Marketing Plan, 2007-2008, http://www.state.tn.us/tourdev/.
"Tennessee Greenways and Trails: Building Healthy Communities." Tennessee Parks and Greenways Foundation, www.tenngreen.org/greenwaysandtrails.htm.
Travel Industry of America. The Economic Impact of Tourism on Tennessee Counties, 2006.
U.S. Environmental Protection Agency. "Brownfields 2008 Grant Fact Sheet." Brownfields and Land Revitalization, www.epa.gov/brownfields/08arc/r04_tn_shelbycounty.htm.
Juliann Waits, Ph.D., is an Assistant Professor of Natural Sciences at Southwest Tennessee Community College and an Adjunct Professor with the Department of Biology in the Ecological Research Center at the University of Memphis.
Dr. Waits specializes in population genetics, working mainly with mammals, fish, and birds. She has worked recently on genetic variation in Double-crested cormorants with members of the USDA National Wildlife Research Center (J. L. Waits, M. L. Avery, M.E. Tobin, and P. L. Leberg, 2003; M.C. Green, J.L. Waits, M.L. Avery, M.E. Tobin, and P. L. Leberg, 2006). Dr. Waits also has substantial experience in DNA analysis, forensics, morphology, biostatistics, and evolutionary ecology. She received her Ph.D. in Environmental and Evolutionary Ecology from the University of Louisiana--Lafayette in 2002.
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