The final version of Return on Environment, The Economic Value of Protected Open Space in Southeastern Pennsylvania report, was recently released by the Green Space Alliance and the Delaware Valley Regional Planning Commission.

This report is the first to quantify the economic value of protected open space in the five-county Philadelphia metropolitan area, including Buck and Montgomery Counties. As stated in the report, “Preserved open spaces are so much more than just pretty places.” Open space contributes to our millions of dollars to local economies and property values. They also help residents save on everything from health care to recreation. Most importantly, they perform valuable ecosystem services that naturally purify the air we breathe, clean the water we drink and protect the prime soils that grow our food.

We encourage you to find out more by reading the full report or the study summary by clicking on www.dvrpc.org/OpenSpace/value. After reading it, we hope you will spread the word about the value of open space.