Monetary valuation of urban nature’s health effects: a systematic review

Allocation of public budgets requires deliberate analyses of the costs and benefits of alternative budget usages, which must be made using the same metric. The use of monetary term is the standard metric in government budgeting and is ideal for cost-benefit analysis. This paper systematically searched and reviewed literature on monetary valuation of urban nature’s health effects. Although extensive research has demonstrated urban nature’s positive health effects for humans, the review only found ten items in the literature, including four peer-reviewed journal articles, one book chapter, and five reports. Large monetary values were found. These estimates are useful as an argument for urban planners promoting investment in urban green infrastructure. The small number of studies calls for more research. Specifically, more research is required to investigate the monetary values of urban nature’s other health effects, including the impact on depression and obesity. Case studies covering larger geographical areas are needed to account for heterogeneities across countries.