Valuing ecosystem services of sustainable urban drainage systems: A discrete choice experiment to elicit preferences and willingness to pay

Abstract

Sustainable urban drainage systems (SUDS) address stormwater management issues and provide a variety of benefits to residents in terms of ecosystem services. Economically valuing the non-monetary ecosystem services often proves difficult, as limited markets for SUDS measures exist, rendering revealed preference methods inapplicable. We conducted a discrete choice experiment to elicit the preferences and willingness to pay of the ecosystem services of SUDS in Berlin, Germany. Results from a latent class model indicated how residents weigh the different ecosystem services and that they garner the highest utility in improved water quality from reduced fish die-offs. With these results, practitioners and policy makers can better prioritize measures and make strong economic arguments for SUDS implementation and increasing the provision of ecosystem services.