“Experience is a great teacher”: citizens’ reception of a proposal for the implementation of green infrastructure as stormwater management technology

Abstract

This paper examines citizen receptivity to green infrastructure (GI) development in three neighborhoods in Syracuse, New York. Data from 208 surveyed residents were statistically assessed to determine levels of environmental knowledge (EK) about and stated willingness to implement rain barrels, rain gardens, trees, porous pavements, and curbside extensions. Respondents had high levels of EK about GI as a measure for stormwater control and strong stated willingness to implement GI measures. There were no statistically significant relationships between either EK or stated willingness to implement, and sociodemographic variables, with the exception of age. However, there was a statistically significant positive relationship between EK and stated willingness to implement GI. This article, grounded in environmental psychology, argues that there may be nuances in the type of EK that can explain the observed relationships. Specifically, knowledge obtained from a common shared experience of combined sewer overflows flooding, rather than EK gained through formal education, explains the results. It is within this framework, that policy-makers must make decisions about GI implementation.