ABSTRACT
This chapter sets out some methods and studies that have been used to calculate the benefits of exercise in urban nature in terms used by health services to evaluate all forms of medical intervention. The examples are all from the United Kingdom but their general approach and techniques will be applicable elsewhere. Economic value evidence can be used to improve our understanding of how the natural environment benefits us, for example: to help set policy, management, and investment priorities. A different approach was adopted in a comparison of capital and running costs of a linear park along a stream in Belfast. The health benefits of exercise in urban greenspace are a significant part of the overall ecosystem services provided by urban nature. Valuation of ecosystem services in urban areas has concentrated on overall environmental significance of urban nature and has seldom attempted to indicate the contribution of urban nature to human health and well-being in terms of health care costs.
