AMERICAN FORESTS’ CITYGREEN: Calculating the Value of Green Infrastructure

Cities around the country are working with nature to preserve the quality of their communities. Understanding how “green infrastructure”—trees, other non-woody vegetation, and wetlands can be integrated into land use planning and design is essential to help decisions makers decide where and how best to develop and redevelop to comply with air and water regulations and contain costs.

CITYgreen software is a powerful GIS application for land-use planning and policy-making. It is an extension to ESRI’s ArcGIS products that must be installed before CITYgreen can be used. The software conducts complex statistical analyses of ecosystem services and creates easy-to-understand maps and reports. CITYgreen calculates monetary benefits, specifically, stormwater runoff, air quality, water quality, carbon storage and sequestration based on local site conditions. CITYgreen uses the most up-to-date scientific research to calculate the value of trees and vegetation. A CITYgreen generated analysis produces a colorful, easy to understand map and summary report of key findings.

Landscape architects can use CITYgreen to:

• Conduct ecosystem services analyses at various scales, from broad regional studies to detailed small site assessments
• Conduct a site-specific analysis using either geo-referenced data about soil and climate conditions provided with the program or user-provided data on local conditions.
• Create Ecological maps that the value of resources
• Model the environmental and economic impact of different land cover and development scenarios and future tree growth

Target Audiences interested the ecosystem benefits of green infrastructure.

Planners model development scenarios and evaluate landscape ordinances. Engineers estimate the impact of tree loss on stormwater management costs. Urban foresters justify increases in maintenance, planting, and preservation. Citizen groups advocate environmentally friendly solutions. Developers save money on erosion control and stormwater management. Regulatory agencies measure the air quality benefits of greenspace. Educators teach forestry, environmental studies, landscape architecture, and city planning.

For More information on CITYgreen, click here:

To order CITYgreen, click here:

On the pricing page select the CITYgreen version (CITYgreen for ArcGIS or CITYgreen 5 for ArcView) you want to purchase. Fill out the order form checking the appropriate price category. For non-ASLA members, fill in the following code in the membership line: (ASLA/NON). Mail or fax the form with payment to American Forests.

ASLA Member Discount
ASLA members receive a $200 discount off the commercial or government purchase price of CITYgreen. On the order form, indicate (ASLA/MBR) and your ASLA number on the membership line. Select the “group purchase” price on the order form.

Back to Top^