On Oct 11, 2012, the Toronto Centre for Active Transportation (TCAT) released its latest backgrounder, The Economic Impacts of Active Transportation.
This backgrounder discusses some of the economic impacts related to
walking and cycling within an urban environment, in terms of impacts on
businesses and real estate, personal and public finances, and indirect
impacts such as health and productivity. It also includes figures from
recent surveys and studies to introduce the wide array of economic
benefits that investments in walking and cycling can return to
governments, business owners, and individuals.
http://tcat.ca/sites/all/files/Backgrounder_Economic_Impacts.pdf
This backgrounder is the third in TCAT's periodic backgrounder series, the first focused on Bikeway Options currently under consideration in Toronto and the second on Designing Off-Road Paths for Pedestrians and Cyclists.