By Dr. Marvin Miller, AIB President

The recent shutdown of the Federal government (thankfully now concluded), believe it or not, helped to reinforce several points we have often made in this e-newsletter, at least in my mind. We have frequently noted that plants are more than pretty. Indeed, city beautification efforts are good for the environment, good for the sociological and psychological well-being of the community’s citizens, and also good for the economic vitality of the city.

On this last point, we have often noted that trees, flowers, shrubs, turf, and groundcovers can help to add to property values, and therefore, can help to increase a city’s tax base. We have cited that when plants are used, they can attract shoppers to a shopping district, tenants to business parks and office buildings, guests to hotels, and renters to apartment complexes. And we have noted that visitors are often attracted to well-landscaped cities and towns, as people just enjoy being in beautiful surroundings.

During the recent shutdown, several states petitioned the Federal government to re-open closed National Parks, National Monuments, and National Recreation Areas with state, and sometimes, county and municipal funds. And while these locations sometimes involved natural wonders, in certain instances, it was the fact that autumn is often a critical time for visitors to infuse cash into the local economies.




On a personal note, I was traveling in New Hampshire’s White Mountains during part of the shutdown. In the White Mountain National Forest, bathrooms, campgrounds and other facilities were closed, and the U.S. Forest Service had posted signs explaining the closures were related to the shutdown and that facilities would re-open once Congressional funding was restored. But since the Kancamagus Highway, which runs through the National Forest, is also New Hampshire’s Route 112 connecting the cities of Bath, Easton, Woodstock, Albany, and Conway, there was a beautiful unrestricted passage through the woods. There was no doubt that these communities rely on the annual pilgrimage of tourists seeking to view fall color. And the number of tour busses I saw likely did not disappoint. Even as the tourists were inconvenienced by the closed facilities, they still came, and they emptied their wallets into the cash drawers of restaurants, hotels, and gift shops throughout the state.

This same sort of entourage descends upon countless cities and towns across America during many times of the year. I was once told by a prominent businessman in an AIB city, Vernal, Utah (population 9,089), that the 7-Eleven in town sold more disposable cameras (before digital cameras were part of every cell phone) than any other retailer in the state, a state which boasts five National Parks. These cameras largely were sold to folks passing through Vernal, who were amazed at all of the flowers planted along Vernal’s main thoroughfares. In the process, visitors often made unplanned stops for meals and hotels, thereby pumping dollars into the local economy.

When Boeing was contemplating where to relocate from Seattle several years ago, the decision on where to move came down to two cities. Chicago’s Mayor Daley asked the Chicago Park District to prepare something showcasing the beauty of Chicago’s parks. The resulting video presentation helped propel the city into the winning position as Boeing’s new corporate home.


And we know of a number of cities that have included municipal landscaping projects as a regular beneficiary of at least part of the city’s take of hotel visitor taxes. Indeed, in countless locations around the country, plants help make the tourist experience memorable from the moment visitors disembark at airport terminals, along the boulevards to downtown business districts, and even along the way to convention centers and nearby hotels. In past conversations with convention and visitor bureau executives, we often have heard their perspectives that plants help to set their cities apart from other locations.

So, the next time you hear folks questioning landscaping budgets, at least give pause and consider the likely impact of the landscapes that are created. It could be that the pennies spent per citizen, per business, or per visitor might just be generating dollars that serve the greater economic good.