Green Infrastructure, Stronger Economies: A Collaborative Approach to Valuing Urban Greening | FAME Project Policy Brief

Despite robust evidence demonstrating the significant health and environmental benefits of trees and greenspaces, coverage across Adelaide and Australia is declining at an alarming rate. To address this challenge, the project brought together local government representatives, researchers, and academics to develop innovative decision-support resources that accurately reflect the economic value of trees and greenspaces.The project was implemented in partnership with two South Australian councils, the City of Salisbury and the City of Unley. Through this collaboration, a Greenspace Decision Support Tool was created to quantify the economic value of the health, social, and environmental benefits provided by trees and greenspaces, revealing that trees are, in fact, profitable investments.For local governments, the findings of this project provide an opportunity to strengthen long-term planning and offer a pathway to more sustainable, equitable, and liveable cities. For this reason, this policy brief was created from the project's findings to support the case for economically sound urban transformations.