Miami Herald and the Daily Business Review cite Earth Economics’ research on the economics of displacement in advance of final vote on Magic City Innovation District

 
 

Miami Herald and the Daily Business Review cite Earth Economics’ research on the economics of displacement in advance of final vote on Magic City Innovation District

Earth Economics’ recent research on the economics of displacement was recently cited in news coverage about community opposition to the Magic City Innovation District development project in Miami, Florida. The Magic City Innovation District (“Magic City”) is a seventeen-acre development slated to be built in the Little Haiti neighborhood of Miami, Florida. In advance of the final city commission vote to approve the project, scheduled for June 27, 2019, the Community Justice Project (CJP) and the Family Action Network Movement (FANM) partnered with Earth Economics to examine the potential environmental and social costs of the proposed development, including the household-level costs of displacement. In addition to raising questions about the true costs and benefits of the proposed Magic City project, the report aims to raise awareness among Miami decision-makers about the importance of approaching urban development through a holistic lens, taking both nature’s benefits and social wellbeing of underserved communities into account.

Wetland Rehydration Project Area Copyright Earth Economics 2019

The articles describe the growing opposition to the proposed billion dollar development, including a rally that was held on June 20 to publicize Earth Economics’ research. Both articles highlight Earth Economics’ estimates of household-level costs of displacement, including an estimated $64 billion of costs over ten years, accrued by 3000+ households at risk of displacement throughout the Little Haiti neighborhood.

“The impacts of displacement are well documented − everything from upfront relocation costs, to increased commuting costs, to the cost of increased flood risk. Using publicly available datasets, the average financial cost of displacement to a Little Haiti household can be estimated,” (Earth Economics, Magic City Innovation District).

In the News

Little Haiti residents rally for a more ‘inclusive’ development ahead of Magic City Vote. | Miami Herald

Miami's Magic City Innovation District Could Displace 3,000+ Little Haiti Households, Study Says | Daily Business Review

Miami Waterkeeper Features Earth Economics’ Research on Coastal Wetlands

 
 

Miami Waterkeeper Features Earth Economics’ Research
on Coastal Wetlands

A recent Miami Waterkeeper forum on the economic valuation of ecosystem restoration in South Florida featured Earth Economics’ research about Biscayne Bay.

The event, held at Deering Estate, in Miami, included a tour of a pilot wetlands restoration site, as well as a panel discussion among scientists and resource managers about the importance of quantifying ecosystem benefits as a resilience measure for Miami-Dade County, whose eastern shoreline is dominated by Biscayne Bay.

Miami Waterkeeper also used the event to present Earth Economics’ recent study “Restoring Biscayne Bay and the Economic Value of Rehydrating Coastal Wetlands,” which was funded by the Miami Foundation. The study explains how Biscayne Bay’s coastal wetlands provide essential ecosystem services. Indeed, rehydrated coastal wetlands would provide $120 million in ecosystem services annually, amounting to $3.3 billion when treated as an asset, the study explained.

Wetland Rehydration Project Area
Copyright Earth Economics 2019

Key Peninsula News Cites Earth Economics Research in Article About Growth in Rural Pierce County

 
 

Key Peninsula News Cites Earth Economics Research in Article About Growth in Rural Pierce County

Earth Economics’ research is cited in a recent article in the Key Peninsula News that explores how much residential growth could come to the rural Key Peninsula west of Tacoma, Wash., in coming decades. The article, “The Cost of Growth on the Key Peninsula,” explains that the state’s Growth Management Act discourages sprawl and directs development to urban growth areas thatare designated for eventual annexation by cities and towns. Local zoning policies that require open space preservation on residential parcels, as well as natural features such as wetlands and steep slopes, also limit how many new homes could be built amid the isolated peninsula, which has just a few unincorporated communities, called census-designated places. 

Citing Earth Economics’ recent report, “The Costs of Sprawl: The Potential Impacts of Development in Pierce County, Washington,” the article explains that extending roads, sewer lines and other services to rural areas is three times more costly than providing such services in urban growth areas. The article also notes the report’s conclusion that converting rural green spaces to housing would result in the loss of ecosystem services that provide quantifiable value to rural communities. Taken together, the report’s findings support preserving the rural nature of the Key Peninsula, Pierce County Councilman Derek Young (D-Gig Harbor) contended in the article.

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For more information, please contact Project Manager Matt Van Deren.

Seattle Times cites Earth Economics research in article about endangered orcas.

 
 

SEATTLE TIMES CITES EARTH ECONOMICS
RESEARCH IN ARTICLE ABOUT ENDANGERED ORCAS

Earth Economics’ research is cited in a recent article in The Seattle Times about how noise from large container ships and smaller vessels affects Southern Resident Killer Whales’ ability to hunt salmon in Puget Sound. The article, “The Roar Below,” uses infographics, underwater sound recordings, and other tools to convey how underwater noise masks the sounds (echolocation clicks) that the orcas use to hunt. The article explains that Puget Sound’s robust economy would be affected by restrictions on boat traffic that state and federal policymakers are considering as a way toprotect the endangered orcas’ foraging efficiency. Citing Earth Economics’ recent report, The Whales in Our Waters, the article explains that whale watching in San Juan County (from boat-based tours and terrestrial viewing points) supports more than $216 million worth of economic activity in the Puget Sound region annually.

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Earth Economics presents oil spill consequences assessment to Puget Sound island community

 
 

Earth Economics presents oil spill Risk consequences
assessment to San Juan islands community

READ THE REPORT

Project Director Rebecca Page presented Earth Economics’ recent report, San Juan County Oil Spill Risk Consequences Assessment, to community members of San Juan County on May 8. The 2019 report, commissioned by San Juan County Environmental Resources Division evaluates the extent of damages and range of costs from two hypothetical oil spills — an oil tanker spill and cargo vessel fuel oil spill — occurring in Haro Strait/Boundary Pass, which separates San Juan County and Vancouver Island 

The assessment contributes to a cost-benefit business case for investment in additional spill prevention measures, including an emergency response towing vessel in or near county waters that could aid vessels in distress.

Study Area: San Juan County, Washington
Click to Enlarge

San Juan County hosted a community presentation about the Earth Economics report, on Wednesday, May 8. (Shown L-R: Marta Green, Puget Sound Recovery Coordinator of the Action Agenda Oversight Group, San Juan County Environmental Resources Division and Rebecca Page, Project Director at Earth Economics)

For more information, please contact Project Manager Rebecca Page.

Earth Economics Selects Eight Communities for Innovative Green Infrastructure Labs

 
 

Earth Economics Selects Eight Communities
for Innovative Urban Green Infrastructure (GI) Labs

This fall, Earth Economics will lead labs in eight communities across the United States that aim to scale-up investment in and adoption of green infrastructure to increase urban resilience. Earth Economics staff and industry partners will bring these labs to three distinct regions that all face critical stormwater and other service-delivery challenges that are poised to increase in the face of climate change: the Pacific Northwest, the Southeast, and the Northeast.

The one-day, interactive labs will provide public- and private-sector leaders the catalyst and tools to create and sustain a portfolio of urban green infrastructure assets — everything from pervious streets, to living roofs, to parks and open spaces — to manage stormwater runoff, bolster climate resilience, beautify neighborhoods, create recreation spaces, and address other community needs. Earth Economics’ hands-on exercises will help participants craft a shared vision and goals for green infrastructure, identify challenge and opportunity areas, explore model regulations and incentives, and assess effective financing and values-based communications strategies.

The labs build on The Blueprint for Increased Investment in Green Infrastructure, an action plan for city leaders looking to bring their green infrastructure to scale. The Blueprint is based on ten months of extensive research, including practitioner interviews across the nation, literature review, process mapping, and econometric modeling.

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The communities include:

  1. Snohomish County, WA

  2. City of Sandy, OR

  3. City of Little Rock, AR

  4. Palm Beach County, FL

  5. Broward County, FL

  6. Metropolitan Area Planning Council (Boston, MA)

  7. City of New Bedford, MA

  8. Pioneer Valley Planning Commission (Springfield, MA)

Communities: Getting Green to Scale
Key: Green = Urban GI Labs, Blue = Blueprint Interview Communities
Click to Enlarge

To learn about how Earth Economics could support green infrastructure investment and adoption in your community,
please visit our Urban GI project page or contact Project Director Rebecca Page.

Earth Economics Report Cited in Thomson Reuters Foundation Article

 
 

Earth Economics report cited
in Thomson Reuters Foundation article

Earth Economics’ research is cited in a new Thomson Reuters Foundation News article about sovereign tribes’ call for representation alongside the United States and Canada in the renegotiation of a 1964 treaty that governs management of the Columbia River Basin, which stretches across seven U.S. states and one Canadian province. The 2017 Earth Economics report, The Value of Natural Capital in the Columbia Reservation, concludes that improved management of the Columbia River could produce economic gains of $1.5 billion annually.

For more information, please contact Managing Director Maya Kocian.

Earth Economics report cited by Emerald Alliance to make the case for public lands restoration and recreation investments.

 
 

Earth Economics report cited by Emerald Alliance to make the case for public lands restoration and recreation investments.

The Emerald Alliance, which advocates for sustainable and equitable land-conservation practices in the Central Puget Sound Region, cited in a recent blog post Earth Economics’ report Gem of the Emerald Corridor: Nature’s Value in the Mt. Baker-Snoqualmie National Forest.

The Alliance, citing the 2018 report, explained that investments in restoring the Green and White River watersheds that encompass a wide swath of the Mt. Baker-Snoqualmie National Forest, will “pay us back in critical ecosystem services 3000-fold every single year.” Such ecosystem services include flood risk-reduction, maintaining water quality and supply, recreation, and important fish and wildlife habitat.

The Alliance explained in its post that the fast-growing Central Puget Sound Region’s residents have a unique opportunity to influence the management of national forests and other public lands — from restoration activities to recreation opportunities. Stewardship of these lands affects not only the ecological, social, and cultural communities living and passing through them but also those far downstream — from urban and suburban cities to southern resident killer whales, the blog post explained. 

Read the full article, It All Flows Downstream: Unique opportunity to plan for the future of our public lands in Central Puget Sound, by Jen Watkins of Conservation Northwest and Kitty Craig of The Wilderness Society.

Here at Earth Economics, we are focused on providing tailored support to cities, utilities, and environmental justice organizations alike on building the case for, financing, and ensuring equitable prioritization of green infrastructure.

For more information, please contact Research Lead Johnny Mojica.