The Economics of Low-Impact Development: A Literature Review

ECONorthwest summarizes the literature that identifies and measures the economic costs and benefits of low-impact development techniques.

In this report, ECONorthwest reviews the relevant literature on the economics of low impact development. In the report, we describe briefly, and in plain language, the methods economists use when measuring the costs and benefits of LID and conventional stormwater controls. This information provides the reader with a context for the economic descriptions of costs and benefits that follow.

Then, we summarize the literature that identifies and measures the economic costs and benefits of managing stormwater using LID, or that compares costs or benefits, or both, between LID and conventional controls. Finally, we organize and present this information in a way that non-economist municipal officials, stormwater managers, ratepayer stakeholders and others can use as they consider and deliberate stormwater-management plans.

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