NYC Green Impacts Calculator

The NYC Green Impacts Calculator gives you reliable data on the environmental, economic, and public health benefits of green space in New York City so you can advocate with confidence.

In New York City, green spaces aren’t just “nice to have.” They’re essential.

Green spaces reduce air pollution, prevent flooding, and support mental and physical health. They also provide crucial cultural and mental health benefits and add economic value to a neighborhood.

But reclaiming our much-needed green spaces is tough work, especially to do so equitably. From funding to permitting challenges, roadblocks require us to take a thorough, participatory, and evidence-based approach to making the case for more green space.

That’s where the NYC Green Impacts Calculator comes in. If you have a project in mind, the Calculator can provide quantifiable economic, environmental, social, and health benefits. This will help you make a compelling case for your project.

Go to the calculator

The Green Impacts Calculator gives you reliable data on the environmental, economic, and public health benefits of green space in New York City so you can advocate with confidence.

  • What: A simple calculator that shows the benefits that result from a proposed project to expand green space

  • Who: Residents and leaders who want to expand green space

  • Where: Neighborhoods throughout New York City

  • Why: To have the data-based evidence to strengthen your case for investment in green space

This Calculator was built through a collaboration of South Bronx Unite and Earth Economics.

Have you used the Green Impacts Calculator? We’d love to hear from you! Fill out the survey

How to use the Calculator

  1. Collect information about the location, scope, and features of your project

  2. Enter your data into the Calculator

  3. Explore your results

  4. Use the findings to transform your neighborhood

  • You’ll need to have some information on hand to input, including: 

    • Location – ideally an address or cross-street

    • Area – an approximate size of your project

    • Timing – both how long the project will take to implement, and how long it will be accessible to the public

    • Volunteers – the amount of volunteer support you anticipate 

    • Green features – the infrastructure that will make up the project (e.g. trees; permeable pavement; rain barrels; etc.) and what proportion they’ll take up 

    • Demographics – the population of your proposed site, which can help you make the case for equitable results

    • Pay off – the time scale and scope for when the benefits of the project are more than the cost of creating it

    • Environmental impact - the habitat, water, carbon, and other benefits this project will bring to the local ecosystem

    • Economic impact – the jobs and salaries benefited by the project

    • Social impact – the volunteers engaged

    • Health benefits – the heat mitigation and clean air benefits

    • Engage – the Calculator is a great community engagement tool, allowing you to consider the benefits and costs of various approaches

    • Evaluate – tweak your inputs to compare options and make informed decisions about your project 

    • Advocate – use your Calculator results as evidence to support the benefits and impact of your project

Looking for more detail on the Calculator—or for the data behind it all? Check out our User Manual.

Have you used the Green Impacts Calculator? We’d love to hear from you! Fill out the survey.

Go to the calculator

Want a calculator for your city? Let’s create one together!

After building this calculator in collaboration with South Bronx Unite, we are eager to provide useful tools to other community organizations who want to know the value of nature-based solutions.

Whether you have funding for a project like this—or would need to explore grant funding together—get in touch.

Send us an email at info@eartheconomics.org.

Various photos courtesy of South Bronx Unite.