Assessing the willingness of the public to pay to conserve urban green space: the Hangzhou City, China, case.
The authors assessed the willingness of residents to pay for urban green-space conservation in Hangzhou, China, using the contingent-valuation method. The aim of the study was to provide policy makers with information that would be useful for making informed decisions in urban-development planning. The findings of the study are as follows: 1) The willingness of residents to pay for urban green-space conservation was positively correlated with their perceptions of the benefits of green spaces and negatively correlated with perceptions of the annoyances. 2) The willingness to pay a higher premium for green-space conservation is directly related to gender, income level, and residential-ownership status. Age and education level are not significantly correlated with willingness to pay. 3) A majority of respondents view the conservation of urban green spaces as a very important function of the city, and most of them are willing to pay additional taxes for this conservation. 4) The total value per year to the public of the conservation program in Hangzhou is about $15.4 million. These qualitative and quantitative findings can be used in the policy-making process for urban-development plans.
Chen
Bo
B
Zhejiang University, Department of Horticulture, Hangzhou, Zhejiang, China.
Bao
Zhiyi
Z
Zhu
Zhujun
Z
D002681:China; D003247:Conservation of Natural Resources / Q000191:economics* / Q000331:legislation & jurisprudence; D011639:Public Opinion; D012959:Socioeconomic Factors; D013660:Taxes; D014506:Urban Renewal / Q000191:economics*