The value of naturalness of urban green spaces: Evidence from a discrete choice experiment

Julia Bronnmann (), Veronika Liebelt, Fabian Marder, Jasper Meya and Martin Quaas
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Julia Bronnmann: Department of Sociology, Environmental and Business Economics, University of Southern Denmark
Veronika Liebelt: German Centre for Integrative Biodiversity Research (iDiv) Halle-Jena-Leipzig, Puschstraße 4, 04103 Leipzig, Germany and Leipzig University Department of Economics, Grimmaische Str. 12, 04109 Leipzig, Germany
Fabian Marder: German Centre for Integrative Biodiversity Research (iDiv) Halle-Jena-Leipzig, Puschstraße 4, 04103 Leipzig, Germany and Leipzig University Department of Economics, Grimmaische Str. 12, 04109 Leipzig, Germany
Jasper Meya: German Centre for Integrative Biodiversity Research (iDiv) Halle-Jena-Leipzig, Puschstraße 4, 04103 Leipzig, Germany and Leipzig University Department of Economics, Grimmaische Str. 12, 04109 Leipzig, Germany

No 128/20, Working Papers from University of Southern Denmark, Department of Sociology, Environmental and Business Economics

Abstract: The wide range of benefits for humans and biodiversity conservation provided by urban green spaces (UGS) are receiving substantial attention in relation to urban planning and management. However, little is known about to which extent people value the naturalness and biodiversity of urban green spaces. We study how citizens value the naturalness of and the walking distance to their closest UGS in 22 major German cities. For this purpose, we develop a unique measurement scale for the naturalness of UGS, which is embedded in an online survey and in a discrete choice experiment. Results of Mixed Logit estimates and willingness to pay values indicate clear preferences regarding the naturalness of urban green space. For our national representative sample, we elicit a mean marginal WTP for the naturalness of UGS of € 2.31 per month with a standard error of € 0.12. Moreover, the results show that WTP varies between cities. These figures underline the importance of biodiversity in urban areas and can inform urban planning. Acknowledgements: We gratefully acknowledge the support of iDiv funded by the German Research Foundation (DFG– FZT 118, 202548816).

Keywords: Biodiversity; discrete choice experiments; non-market valuation; urban green space; willingness-to-pay (search for similar items in EconPapers)
JEL-codes: C81 H41 Q51 Q57 R21 R58 (search for similar items in EconPapers)
Pages: 25 pages
Date: 2020-11
New Economics Papers: this item is included in nep-agr, nep-dcm and nep-env
References: View references in EconPapers View complete reference list from CitEc
Citations: View citations in EconPapers (7)

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Journal Article: The Value of Naturalness of Urban Green Spaces: Evidence from a Discrete Choice Experiment (2023)
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