As part of the HALO Project, largely following a methodology pioneered in a 2010 Philadelphia study, ten local congregations in Toronto were evaluated on their contribution to the local economy in 2015/16.
The report’s conclusion is that “Every dollar a congregation spends could create $4.77 worth of service a city does not have to provide.”
The full report is here.
Some excerpts pertaining to the “open space” component, and the excellent references, are here.
(posted 23 Jan 2018)