• LAF Quantifies Yanaguana Garden Successes

LAF Quantifies Yanaguana Garden Successes

“The power of design will create a healthier, more equitable and sustainable world.” That’s the motto of the Landscape Architecture Foundation (LAF). 

LAF provides independent case studies—its Landscape Performance Series—that quantify the community benefits of a place. This year, its Case Study Investigation (CSI) team studied what about Yanaguana works so well. A few highlights:

  • 34% of average annual rainfall captured
  • 12°F cooler than other areas in the afternoon sun
  • 28% of visitors observed making new connections with people they hadn’t met before
  • 69% of visitors observed as being very active or walking
  • 65% of visitors say the art has helped them understand the site’s cultural and historical importance
  • 50% average increase in assessed property value for parcels within a two-block radius 
  • 82% of visitors patronized businesses and restaurants within a 2-block radius 
  • 182% increase in median property tax revenue, compared with 8% for Bexar County
  • The numbers show what park users intuitively feel: it’s a great place for people of all ages and abilities!

You can read the LAF case study brief or read the full report with methodology.

You can also read more about the Yanaguana Garden Play Area itself—and see photos. 

This year, LAF studied 12 projects from around the world. The CSI teams are led by Research Fellows, select faculty members who have expertise in quantifying landscape benefits. Fellows develop methods for data collection and provide the academic rigor needed to support designers, policy-makers, and other advocates who are making the case for sustainable landscape solutions.