Environmental Benefits

  • Improves water quality by 34-50% based on water quality indicators like reduction in total nitrogen, chemical oxygen demand, and total organic carbon, when comparing inlet to outlet of the constructed wetland system.
  • Increases flood storage capacity by approximately 188,016,433 gallons, equivalent to 284 Olympic-sized swimming pools.
  • Creates habitat for at least 12 observed bird species.
  • Lowers temperatures within the park, with average temperatures on forested islands measuring 2.0-4.6% cooler and on the park’s peripheral pathways measuring 1.4-2.4% cooler than the surrounding streets.
  • Improves human thermal comfort on a summer afternoon by an average of 5.9% on the forested islands and 2.5% on the park’s peripheral pathways as compared to the surrounding streets.
  • Projected to sequester an estimated 47,906,805 lbs of carbon over the next 10 years in 26,101 newly planted trees.
  • Reduces carbon footprint by 301 kgCO2 by utilizing a precast concrete path instead of cast-in-place concrete.

Social Benefits

  • Supports social engagement, with 66% of 748 surveyed visitors reporting that they visit with family and/or friends.
  • Promotes return visits, with 46% of 748 surveyed visitors stating they visit the park with some frequency (at least once per month).
  • Supports mental health and well-being, with 56% of 748 surveyed visitors reporting they visit to enjoy nature and/or heal from daily pressure.
  • Promotes positive emotional responses through the presence of migrating birds, with 72% of 748 surveyed visitors displaying strong positive emotions towards birds on-site.
  • Supports positive public opinion towards management of the city and land, with 58% of 748 surveyed visitors agreeing that the park represents a more advanced example of land stewardship and 66% agreeing that it is in harmony with nature.
  • Decreases noise levels by an average of 10.8 decibels, a clearly noticeable change, between the road and the sunken area of the park immediately next to the road.
  • Serves visitors of multiple income levels, with 47% of visitors belonging to income categories at or under average income in Nanchang.
  • Generates social media attention, with 104% more user diary posts and 187% more tags as compared to nearby Nanchang People's Park.
  • Attracts visitors through environmental features, with 60% of 748 surveyed visitors reporting that the forested islands are the primary reason why they would come to this park over others.

Economic Benefits

  • Creates 20-30 maintenance and operational jobs, valued at $150,430 to $225,640 USD per year.
  • Provides stormwater retention capacity valued at an estimated $1.62 million USD.

Data Source:

Nanchang Fish Tail Park Landscape Performance Benefits: https://www.landscapeperformance.org/case-study-briefs/fish-tail-park

Scenic Inspiration Benefits

  • Yanweizhou Park enhances emotional benefits through scenic inspiration, with surveys showing a high inspiration rate of 44.2%.
  • The emotional value score of egrets as an inspiration element is as high as 0.8 (out of 1), and it is significantly positively correlated with the therapeutic effect. Among those with high healing feelings, 93.4% have high inspiration scores for egrets, significantly enhancing the park's attractiveness and value.

Data Source:

Wang Yujia, Anne Schutte. The Construction and Positive Benefits of Scenic Inspiration in Urban Parks [J]. Chinese Urban Forestry, 2024, 22(2): 96-103. DOI: 10.12169/zgcsly.2024.03.05.0002.