Willingness of residents to pay and motives for conservation of urban green spaces in the compact city of Hong Kong

Alex Y. LO, Chi Yung JIM

Research output: Contribution to journalArticlespeer-review

188 Citations (Scopus)

Abstract

People attach multiple values to urban green spaces which play varied roles in cities. Properly designed monetary valuation surveys can ascertain their non-market value and underlying motives. This study investigates Hong Kong residents' recreational use of urban green spaces and assesses the monetary value of these areas. A total of 495 urban residents from different neighbourhoods and socio-economic groups were interviewed. About 70% of the respondents visited urban green spaces at least weekly. Major companions during patronage were family members and then children. Exercises and clean air topped the list of visit purposes. The recreational pattern is associated with the cramped private living condition that pushes people to public open areas which are construed as extension of home space. The valuation question solicited overwhelming support, with over 80% of the respondents willing to pay to recover a possible loss of urban green spaces area by 20%. It yielded a monthly average payment of HK$77.43 (approx. 9.90 USD) per household for five years. Non-instrumental aspects played some role in the respondents' bidding decision. The findings could assist green space planning and nature conservation, and hinted the need to consider the pluralistic community views and expectations in relevant public policies. Copyright © 2010 Elsevier GmbH. All rights reserved.

Original languageEnglish
Pages (from-to)113-120
JournalUrban Forestry and Urban Greening
Volume9
Issue number2
DOIs
Publication statusPublished - 2010

Citation

Lo, A. Y., & Jim, C. Y. (2010). Willingness of residents to pay and motives for conservation of urban green spaces in the compact city of Hong Kong. Urban Forestry & Urban Greening, 9(2), 113-120. doi: 10.1016/j.ufug.2010.01.001

Keywords

  • Bidding motives
  • Park patronage habits
  • Urban green area
  • Urban park
  • Willingness to pay

Fingerprint

Dive into the research topics of 'Willingness of residents to pay and motives for conservation of urban green spaces in the compact city of Hong Kong'. Together they form a unique fingerprint.