The residents’ perceptions on and willingness to pay for water sensitive industrial development: evidence from New Zealand

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ABSTRACT Internationally cities are prone to the effects of urban stormwater issues caused by urban sprawl and climate change. Applying Water Sensitive Design (WSD) is an efficient way for cities to mitigate these issues. While WSD is becoming widely used worldwide, there are many unknowns regarding public support for employing WSD at industrial sites. In order to fill the gap, this study performed a socioeconomic-demographic valuation of Water Sensitive Industrial Development (IWSD) initiatives. These cover multiple dimensions of environmental and social issues caused by industrial development, including residents’ concerns about environmental or social issues, awareness of IWSD, and willingness to pay (WTP) for different IWSD measures. We conducted a dedicated questionnaire survey with 651 residents living around 10 industrial sites in Auckland, New Zealand. In general, residents concern about environmental and social benefit degradation, which was mostly related to a 10-year residency length. Public WSD awareness was not strong, but residents supported IWSD and their education level, property ownership, and living experience positively affected their awareness of IWSD. In terms of residents’ WTP for IWSD in Auckland, the annual amounts were NZD 59.68 million, and NZD 34.7 per person. Middle income, pre-middle age, and 10+ year residence groups were associated with higher WTP. Among different IWSD measures, rain garden, tree, and green roof gained higher WTP intentions. These findings can facilitate strategic planning, public acceptance, policy formulation, and investment directions for future IWSD implementation and also serve as a reference for other industrialised cities that are aiming to mitigate industrial impacts.