Bike Trails Improve Property Values

An interesting article in The Atlantic this week shows once again that local recreation trails improve surrounding property values and make an area more desirable to live in, despite often being the first programs to have their budgets cut.

http://www.theatlanticcities.com/commute/2011/10/how-much-bike-trail-worth/382/

This has some really interesting implications for Helena. The revamped Centennial Trail shows promise, spanning the length of the city from east to west. It not only provides recreational opportunities through multiple neighborhoods, but serves as a transit corridor for residents to get to and from work. Furthermore, it would be interesting to survey the value that local residents put on the trail and try to establish a monetary worth, such as what happened in the article(even though putting a dollar amount on inherent or intangible value is a poor indicator of value).