Publication from the AllianceAuthor: Dennis Roitsch, Colm O’Driscoll, Rik De Vreese, Tahia Devisscher, Matilda van den Bosch, Cecilia Fraccaroli
Year of publication: 2021
The market outlook for Urban green care (UGC), produced by Green4C, was designed to provide market figures and business models primarily associated with the thematic sector UGC. The data for this study was collected using online searches for relevant UGC initiatives, the database of the Urban Nature Atlas, an online survey, and expert interviews. This market outlook found that generally parks and forests are not only the main receivers of urban green infrastructure investments, but also the most sought-after areas where UGC initiatives provide their services. Despite challenges stemming from curbing the COVID-19 pandemic (e.g. social distancing), the UGC initiatives in this study are overwhelmingly confident that funding, revenues, and customer base are going to increase over the next five years. This is in line with the opinions of interviewed health experts who expect that the market for activities using green spaces aimed at promoting health and well-being is going to increase, although they believe that it will likely remain a niche market. In more detail, the market of UGC was described from a supply and a demand side. The supply side was defined as access, use, and provision of urban green spaces and the demand was identified as a number of UGC initiatives with a focus on health, green and social prescriptions. The demand described in this market outlook is illustrated by 10 UGC initiatives comprising projects and/or organisations operationalising urban and peri-urban green spaces and incorporating human health and well-being in their mission, vision, and activities.
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