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The value of green walls to urban biodiversity

The value of green walls to urban biodiversity
The value of green walls to urban biodiversity
Despite increased interest in the implementation of green walls in urban areas and the recognised benefits of monetary valuation of ecosystem services, no studies have been undertaken to estimate the economic value of biodiversity they provide. The valuation of natural resources allows policy makers to justify resource allocation. Using the Southampton, UK, as a case study, this paper estimates the public’s perceived value of green walls to urban biodiversity, in the form of their willingness to pay (WTP). Estimates were derived using a random parameter model that accounted for socio-economic and attitudinal determinants of choice, using choice experiment data. Three green infrastructure policies were tested; two green wall designs (‘living wall’ and ‘green façade’) and an ‘alternative green policy’; and compared against ‘no green policy’. Results indicated a WTP associated with green infrastructure that increases biodiversity. Attitudinal characteristics such as knowledge of biodiversity and aesthetic opinion were significant, providing an indication of identifiable preferences between green policies and green wall designs. A higher level of utility was associated with the living wall, followed by the green façade. In both cases, the value of the green wall policies exceeds the estimated investment cost; so our results suggest that implementation would provide net economic benefits.
Green infrastructure, green wall, living wall, green facade, choice experiment
0264-8377
114-123
Collins, Rebecca
2ecdff66-29af-40e5-94aa-4750e6f3fe1b
Schaafsma, Marije
937ac629-0fa2-4a11-bdf7-c3688405467d
Hudson, Malcolm
1ae18506-6f2a-48af-8c72-83ab28679f55
Collins, Rebecca
2ecdff66-29af-40e5-94aa-4750e6f3fe1b
Schaafsma, Marije
937ac629-0fa2-4a11-bdf7-c3688405467d
Hudson, Malcolm
1ae18506-6f2a-48af-8c72-83ab28679f55

Collins, Rebecca, Schaafsma, Marije and Hudson, Malcolm (2017) The value of green walls to urban biodiversity. Land Use Policy, 64, 114-123. (doi:10.1016/j.landusepol.2017.02.025).

Record type: Article

Abstract

Despite increased interest in the implementation of green walls in urban areas and the recognised benefits of monetary valuation of ecosystem services, no studies have been undertaken to estimate the economic value of biodiversity they provide. The valuation of natural resources allows policy makers to justify resource allocation. Using the Southampton, UK, as a case study, this paper estimates the public’s perceived value of green walls to urban biodiversity, in the form of their willingness to pay (WTP). Estimates were derived using a random parameter model that accounted for socio-economic and attitudinal determinants of choice, using choice experiment data. Three green infrastructure policies were tested; two green wall designs (‘living wall’ and ‘green façade’) and an ‘alternative green policy’; and compared against ‘no green policy’. Results indicated a WTP associated with green infrastructure that increases biodiversity. Attitudinal characteristics such as knowledge of biodiversity and aesthetic opinion were significant, providing an indication of identifiable preferences between green policies and green wall designs. A higher level of utility was associated with the living wall, followed by the green façade. In both cases, the value of the green wall policies exceeds the estimated investment cost; so our results suggest that implementation would provide net economic benefits.

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Collins et al accepted final ms - Accepted Manuscript
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Accepted/In Press date: 19 February 2017
e-pub ahead of print date: 6 March 2017
Published date: May 2017
Keywords: Green infrastructure, green wall, living wall, green facade, choice experiment
Organisations: Global Env Change & Earth Observation, Centre for Environmental Science, Geography & Environment

Identifiers

Local EPrints ID: 406839
URI: http://eprints.soton.ac.uk/id/eprint/406839
ISSN: 0264-8377
PURE UUID: a33da455-843f-4609-9525-ef2f09327118
ORCID for Rebecca Collins: ORCID iD orcid.org/0000-0003-1681-0860
ORCID for Marije Schaafsma: ORCID iD orcid.org/0000-0003-0878-069X

Catalogue record

Date deposited: 24 Mar 2017 02:03
Last modified: 16 Mar 2024 05:09

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Contributors

Author: Rebecca Collins ORCID iD
Author: Malcolm Hudson

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