MOUNDS GREENWAY MEET AT THE MOUNDS An Economic, Health, and Environmental Benefits Analysis 2 04 INTRODUCTION WHAT IT WILL 06 CONNECT WHO LIVES NEAR 08 THE GREENWAY METHODS AND 10 LIMITATIONS HEALTH 12 BENEFITS ENVIRONMENTAL 16 BENEFITS BENEFITS TRANSPORT 20 BENEFITS ECONOMIC 24 BENEFITS 30 SOURCES 3 MUNCIE WHITE RIVER GREENWAY PROPOSED C 32 A GREENWAY R D I N A CORRIDOR 69 L with trail route to be G YORKTOWN R 9 E determined E N W A Y WHITE RIVER TRAIL DALEVILLE 32 67 CHESTERFIELD ANDERSON Mounds State Park 69 9 4 MUNCIE WHITE RIVER GREENWAY PROPOSED C 32 A GREENWAY R D I N A CORRIDOR 69 L with trail route to be G YORKTOWN R 9 E determined E N W A Y WHITE RIVER TRAIL DALEVILLE 32 67 CHESTERFIELD ANDERSON Mounds State Park Constructing the 69 MOUNDS GREENWAY will connect the East Central Indiana a system of parks along the White 9 communities of Blackford County, River, serving as the “missing link” in a Delaware County, Henry County, Jay 149-mile regional trail network across County, and Madison County, providing East Central Indiana. residents and visitors a fun, healthy way The full build-out of the Mounds to experience the culture and natural Greenway will impact a variety of health, beauty of the region. environmental, economic, and trans- Envisioned as a quality of life amenity portation factors that directly affect the and planned as a tool for land and river lives of East Central Indiana residents conservation, the greenway will create and visitors. Quantifying these factors new opportunities for outdoor recreation and understanding the magnitude of and sustainable economic growth. From their impact on the region enables a Muncie to Anderson, the greenway will more informed discussion on whether extend over 17 miles connecting city and how best to invest in the greenway centers, schools, and universities through and trail network. 5 What will it CONNECT? 6 Anderson Chesterfield CITIES & Daleville TOWNS Yorktown Muncie Anderson University Ball State University UNIVERSITIES Ivy Tech Community College Purdue Polytechnic Institute White River Greenway (Muncie) Cardinal Greenway Rangeline Nature Preserve TRAILS Mountain Bike Trail White River Trail (Anderson) Rangeline Nature Preserve Mounds State Park Walbridge Acres Park PA R KS David Shellabarger Park Morrow’s Meadow 7 MUNCIE WHITE RIVER GREENWAY PROPOSED C 32 A GREENWAY R D I N A CORRIDOR 69 L with trail route to be G YORKTOWN R 9 E determined E N W A Y WHITE RIVER TRAIL DALEVILLE 32 67 CHESTERFIELD ANDERSON Mounds State Park 69 9 8 MUNCIE WHITE RIVER GREENWAY PROPOSED C 32 A GREENWAY R D I N A CORRIDOR 69 L with trail route to be G YORKTOWN R 9 E determined E N W A Y WHITE RIVER 76,186 TRAIL DALEVILLE 32 67 CHESTERFIELD 29,468 ANDERSON 20,064 13,063 14,471 5,814 2,394 3,760 Mounds State Park SENIORS CHILDREN EMPLOYED TOTAL 69 WITHIN 3 MILES OF MOUNDS GREENWAY [15-MINUTE BIKE RIDE] WITHIN 0.5 MILE OF MOUNDS GREENWAY [10-MINUTE WALK] 9 Who lives near the Greenway While the construction of the Mounds 3 miles of the greenway (about a 15 Greenway will benefit all residents of and minute bike ride)2 and the walking study visitors to the region by closing a large area was limited to those within 0.5 mile gap between the popular White River (about a 10 minute walk).3 However, it is Trail and the Cardinal Greenway, a review important to note that the greenway will of existing trails within Indiana found that serve as an amenity for the entire region, the most frequent users generally live and that the creation of a regional in close proximity of the trail.1 Because network, while difficult to model, greatly of this, the bicycling study area of this expands access to trail and park facilities analysis was limited to those living within for all East Central Indiana residents. 9 WINONA COUNTY PORTAGE COUNTY WASHTENAW COUNTY INGHAM COUNTY ST. JOSEPH COUNTY CHAMPAIGN COUNTY STUDY AREA LEE COUNTY Method The benefits analysis uses a standard secondary research incorporated into methodology for calculating health, the benefits analysis, it is impossible to environmental, economic, and transpor- accurately predict the exact impacts of tation-related benefits. All projections various factors. Accordingly, all estimated are based on the most recent five-year benefit values are rounded and should be estimates from the American Community considered order of magnitude estimates, Survey (ACS), which are then extrapolated rather than exact amounts. Additionally, through the use of over 50 multipliers many of these studies on which the derived from various studies and peer- multipliers are based focus on urban reviewed journal articles around the U.S. areas rather than suburban or rural areas and quantified in terms of monetary value like East Central Indiana. In some cases, where appropriate. this may result in the overestimation of benefits, and efforts were made to select the most conservative estimates where Limitations appropriate. Finally, it is important to note The primary purpose of the analysis the possibility of a future downstream is to enable a more informed discus- extension of the greenway to Indianapolis. sion on whether and how best to invest Such an extension, if implemented, would in a greenway network in East Central represent a significant expansion in the Indiana. Even with extensive primary and benefits described in this analysis. 10 How East Central Indiana Compares How will a fully-constructed trail network designation.4 In addition, Ingham County change the way residents and visitors and Washtenaw County received an experience East Central Indiana? To honorable mention and gold level Walk better understand the shift in travel Friendly Community award designation, behavior, we looked at transportation respectively. Only recently (May 2016) patterns in counties similar to East Central has an East Central Indiana community Indiana but with more advanced bicycle received a bicycle-friendly award, with and pedestrian networks. These “aspi- Muncie receiving Bronze status from the rational counties” were selected based American League of Bicyclists.5 on proximity to the study area as well as The designation of a locale as a Bicycle similarities in the design of their roadway or Walk Friendly Community represents networks, climates, terrain, population a significant investment in improving size, demographics, and proximity the bicycling and walking environment. to universities. Because of this, residents in the seven Based on these criteria, Lee County aspirational counties were more likely to (AL), Champaign County (IL), St. Joseph bicycle or walk compared to residents County (IN), Ingham County (MI), in East Central Indiana. Currently, only Washtenaw County (MI), Winona County 0.6 percent of the East Central Indiana (MN), and Portage County (WI) were population bike to work compared to an selected as aspirational counties. All of average of 1.7 percent in the aspirational the selected aspirational counties were counties, and 3.8 percent of people walk home to cities that received at least the to work in East Central Indiana compared League of American Bicyclist’s bronze to an average of 5.5 percent among the level Bicycle Friendly Community© award aspirational counties.6 EAST CENTRAL 3.8% INDIANA 0.6% 50 LARGEST 3.8% US CITIES 1.1% ASPIRATIONAL 5.5% COUNTIES 1.7% 11 H EALTH BEFORE The health and wellness of East Central Indiana residents is tightly linked to their access to places to recreate. According to the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services, only 18 percent of East The construction Central Indiana residents have access to a of a well-designed, park, playground, garden, fitness center, connected greenway trail, or other place for physical activity,7 across East Central which has contributed to an environment in which 30 percent of adults had not Indiana will provide exercised within the past month.8 residents with increased Insufficient access to recreational facili- access to recreational ties and lack of physical activity has led facilities and encourage to high rates of obesity, diabetes, and greater levels of hypertension within the region and has physical activity. put a strain on residents’ healthcare costs. Roughly one-third of the region’s adults are obese and another one-third are considered overweight by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, helping place Indiana in the bottom ten states in the country.9 The rate of diabetes has doubled in Indiana over the last 20 years, 12 AFTER with 9 percent of East Central Indiana Fortunately, some of these health issues adults diagnosed with the disease and are avoidable. The construction of a approximately 39 people dying from well-designed, connected greenway diabetes-related complications in the across East Central Indiana will provide region each year.10 Additionally, 1.25 residents with increased access to recre- million Hoosier adults are at risk for ational facilities and encourage greater heart attack, stroke, and aneurysm levels of physical activity. In a survey of because of high rates of hypertension trail users in Indiana, 70 percent of people (high blood pressure). living next to a trail reported exercising more because of their proximity to the These high rates of obesity, diabetes, and trail and 92 percent of people said that hypertension, in addition to mental health the trail made them like their city more.15 issues,11 have contributed to increased A growing body of literature links parks healthcare costs for East Central Indiana and trails to increased physical activity, residents.