There is an excellent article by that name in the September 23, 2005 issue of the Sacramento Business Journal, by Dr. Robert Fountain, director of the Applied Research Center at CSUS, where he talks about the great benefit attached to the proposed Gold Rush Park, (GRP) near the confluence of the Sacramento and American rivers.
Dr. Fountain makes several good points:
1) "Sacramento is rising to its potential as the economic and cultural center of a large world-class urban region."
2) "The Gold Rush Park would combine cultural, entertainment, commercial and natural areas within an underutilized area north of the Union Pacific right of way to the American and Sacramento rivers."
3) "Urban parks are not just humanistic frills. A recent study of 20 urban parks by the Sacramento Regional Research Institute shows that they are also powerful economic engines, attracting thousands of visitors who spend millions of dolalrs."
4) "The study found that the greatest economic contribution comes from parks that combine the conservation and cultural focuses."
GRP does this admirably and if you would like to learn more about it, here is their website:
http://www.goldrushpark.org/.
