Creating Clean Water Cash Flows: Developing Private Markets for Green Stormwater Infrastructure in Philadelphia
Taken together, the chapters suggest that although
Philadelphia's parcel-based fee system is a good first step
toward drawing private investment to green infrastructure,
many economic barriers remain. In the current market
environment, the discounted payback periods of most green
infrastructure retrofits on private parcels stretch beyond ten
years, which is longer than most investors would be willing to
accept. However, the report indicates that a range of strategic
policy interventions that PWD and other local stakeholders
could undertake would substantially expand the market for
viable private investment in green infrastructure. Finally, the
authors find that implementation of the policy interventions
explored in this report are likely to be in PWD's and local
tax payer's best economic interest, as the cost to PWD to
implement these policies are likely to reduce the City's total
costs to meet its green acre goals.