Investing in urban water will help create liveable cities with improved health outcomes, according to the latest report from Frontier Economics for Water Services Association of Australia.
WSAA engaged Frontier Economics to assist in understanding and quantifying the liveability associated health benefits of water industry investments to better inform investment decisions. Their findings are presented in Health benefits from water centric liveable communities.
The report found that investment in urban water to create liveable cities improves health through four pathways:
- Improvements in health resulting from more active recreation
- Improvements in mental health resulting from more exposure to green space
- Improvements in health resulting from reduced temperatures associated with the Urban Heat Island effect
- Improvements in health resulting from lower air pollution.
Case studies presented in the report show that investing in water in major greenfield developments will have benefits across all four pathways.
WSAA and Frontier Economics have also developed a ready reckoner tool to assist the water industry in making quick appraisals as to whether a project may deliver quantifiable health benefits under the four pathways. This is supported by three hypothetical case studies.
More information here