Citizen Willingness to Pay for the Implementation of Urban Green Infrastructure in the Pilot Sponge Cities in China

Abstract

Urban green infrastructure has been widely used to in cities to solve stormwater problems caused by extreme weather events and urbanization around the world. However, the lack of a long-term funding mechanism for performing urban green infrastructure’s functions has limited wider implementation. Factors influencing citizen attitudes and willingness to pay for urban green infrastructure vary from city to city. This study estimated the public’s willingness to pay for urban green infrastructure, as well as compared the selected influencing factors of willingness to pay in different Chinese pilot sponge cities. The results show that 60% to 75% of all respondents in the cities were willing to support the implementation of urban green infrastructure in sponge cities, with those most willing to pay around 0–5 RMB/month (0–0.72 USD/month). The respondents’ educational level was a significant influencing factor for their willingness to pay in all six cities, but age, gender and family monthly income correlated differently with respondents’ willingness to pay in different cities. Previous knowledge of the sponge city concept and sponge city construction in the community were not significantly correlated with residents’ willingness to pay. We conclude that local governments in China need to provide more information to the general public about the multiple ecosystem services, e.g., educational and recreational benefits, that urban green infrastructure can provide. In doing so, it will help a shift to urban green infrastructure as the solution to dealing with urban stormwater problems.

Potential for Applying Nature-Based Solutions to Urban Waterways: The Case Study of Medveščak and Črnomerec Streams in the City of Zagreb, Croatia

“…The transition between existing practices and a framework of sustainable solutions is frequently conflicting because of perceptions of flood risk assessment, discourse among institutions, and the limitations of the public participation process [23]. When included early in the planning participation process, the public often recognises the importance of hydro-climatic hazard management and ecological transition processes [23,24]. The expected consequences and challenges of climate change for Slovenia in the 21st century are similar to the projections for the Republic of Croatia [25].…”

Exploring Public Preference and Willingness to Pay for the Ecosystem Benefits of Urban Green Infrastructure: Evidence from a Discrete Choice Experiment of Pilot Sponge Cities in China

“…Apart from dealing with rainwater, GI can provide humans with a wide range of ecosystem services (e.g., regulating climate, purifying the air, educational and aesthetic value, and entertainment benefits, etc.) [15,[23][24][25].…”

“…However, it has been reported that the construction and maintenance costs of GI are very high [24]. The lack of long-term construction and maintenance funds has become the main challenge that prevents the long-term functionality and widespread implementation of GI [26][27][28].…”

“…Similarly, the pilot sponge cities also faced funding problems to implement GI. Learning from developed countries, stormwater fees charged to residents for accessing GI's services can be a viable funding source to supplement sponge city programs [8,21,24]. Actually, studies have been carried on the aspect of willingness to pay (WTP) for GI construction or implementation in pilot sponge cities.…”

“…Meanwhile, factors influencing the public WTP were analyzed [24]. It was reported that respondents' educational level was a significant influencing factor for their WTP in all six cities, but age, gender and family monthly income correlated differently with respondents' WTP in different cities.…”