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.