Exploring the influential factors of residents’ attitudes toward implementing green infrastructures for stormwater management in the US

Abstract

Although green infrastructures (GIs) have been gaining increasing popularity, their widespread adoption in the US has been limited. To encourage wider implementation, understanding residents' attitudes toward GIs and the factors influencing their decisions in implementing such measures is crucial. This study employed a systematic review approach and a regional survey to identify these influential factors (IFs) and investigate their spatial patterns over the past 20 years. The systematic review targeted previous US survey studies to summarize the IFs at the national and regional scales. The e-survey was conducted in the Northeastern US to further investigate residents' willingness to adopt GIs regarding different types and cost settings. The systematic review highlighted age, homeownership, and annual income were key IFs at the national scale. Furthermore, environmental awareness and flood risk perception were additional IFs on the East Coast. Our e-survey revealed that these factors had varying effects across different types of GIs and cost settings. For instance, "flood experience" is more significant when GIs are provided for free, and "employment status" is more significant when GIs are not provided for free. These findings provide comprehensive insights for governments in developing stormwater management policies that consider residents' perceptions and adoption of GIs.