DOWNTOWN DEVELOPMENTS
OUTDOOR RECREATION DRIVES LOCAL ECONOMIES BY GEORGE DUSENBURY, DECATUR COUNCILMEMBER AND VICE PRESIDENT SOUTHERN REGION/GEORGIA STATE DIRECTOR, TRUST FOR PUBLIC LAND. IN AN ERA OF DIVISION AND PARTISANSHIP, it is remarkable that just four years ago, 83 percent of voters checked YES for the Georgia Outdoor Stewardship Amendment (GOSA), dedicating existing sales tax collected on outdoor recreation products to create parks, build trails, and protect land and water. That outcome overwhelmingly illustrates that people love the outdoors and want our governments to preserve land and build recreational amenities for hiking, biking, fishing, birding, paddling, climbing and other outdoor activities. The good news is that investing in the outdoors makes economic sense. As noted in the 2022-2026 Georgia State Comprehensive Outdoor Recreation Plan (SCORP): Outdoor recreation is one of the strongest economic forces on Georgia’s economy with 238,000 directly related jobs, $27.3 billion in consumer spending 42
and $12.4 billion in value added greenspaces according to the 2019 reports of the Bureau of Economic Analysis and the Outdoor Industry Association. With overwhelming data like this, it is not hard to see that Georgia’s natural resources and outdoor recreation mean big business and jobs for Georgians, bringing great prosperity to our communities in urban, suburban, and rural settings. The expansive world around outdoor recreation is not just impactful for jobs and business, it also influences where people want to live and residential valuations. According to a 2019 survey from the National Recreation and Park Association, 85% of respondents stated that they seek high-quality recreation areas and programs when choosing where to live. Local governments across the state are responding and embracing outdoor recreation as a tool to improve the quality of life and create economic opportunity by
