What our parks are worth
The Parks and Greenspace service has carried out a Social Return on Investment (SROI) study to measure the impact of services provided through the city's parks. SROI is a method of estimating the financial value of the social, environmental and economic benefits that parks provide.
Download the summary report, the full, technical report and 2013 SROI study of the Pentland Hills Regional Park below.
The study found that through Edinburgh's parks, for every £1 invested, there is about at £12 return in social, environmental and economic benefits.
Other findings include
- individuals will gain health and wellbeing benefits worth around £40.5 million
- the impact on social inclusion and community capacity is worth over £6 million
- local businesses will gain additional money from visitors to parks in the region of £51 million
- schools, nurseries and colleges are able to provide outdoor learning experiences of just under £1 million
- the awareness and understanding gained by visitors of their local environment is valued at just under £5 million.
The study shows that the Council's parks deliver multiple benefits and make a large contribution to people in Edinburgh feeling