News
2010
February 10, 2010 -
Economic Impact Tool For Byways Now Available
America’s Byways Resource Center is pleased to announce that the highly anticipated Economic Impact Tool for National Scenic Byways and All-American Roads is now available to byway groups seeking to measure the benefits their byways have on local and regional economies.
As part of its Congressionally designated function of providing technical assistance to local byway groups, America’s Byways Resource Center commissioned the development of an Economic Impact Tool that allows local byway staff and/or volunteers to measure the impacts of byways and byway-related activities in their communities. For years, byways have faced the daunting task of proving their worth to elected leaders and skeptical citizens. The majority of byways have modest budgets, limited staff and little or no economics expertise.
“The Resource Center has addressed this important subject for years, including research and analysis of previously developed economic impact tools,” said Michelle Johnson, Director, America’s Byways Resource Center. “We now hope that individual byways will demonstrate what we have always believed - that byways do have a positive impact on our local communities by adding value to the economy.”
America’s Byways Resource Center convened a steering committee comprised of byway leaders and State scenic byway coordinators to provide guidance from a byway perspective during the development of the tool. Also, six nationally designated byways were selected to use the tool during the beta-testing phase to ensure that the product was ready for release.
Beta-tester Ruth Hawkins, Arkansas Delta Byways, commented on the tool’s user-friendly design, “The input screens are quite intuitive and easy to follow. There are giant arrows and other icons to guide you, and if you don’t understand a particular item, you can click on a question mark that gives you pop-up information. And if you’re still stumped, a Technical Manual comes with the software.”
The Economic Impact Tool is a Microsoft Excel®-based software program with a user-friendly interface that allows even novice computer users to generate economic impact figures for their byways. The tool is designed to be used on a multiyear basis, and results from just one year of testing will only offer a snapshot. Economic impact must be measured over time (three to five years, minimum) to determine the long-term impact of designation.
To request a copy of the tool on CD and the accompanying technical user’s manual, click here.
