Valuing Environmental Amenities across Space: A Geographically Weighted Regression of Housing Preferences in Greenville County, SC

Hiebert Hiebert,Allen Allen

doi:10.3390/land8100147

Abstract

As global consumption and development rates continue to grow, there will be persistent stress placed on public goods, namely environmental amenities. Urban sprawl and development places pressure on forested areas, as they are often displaced or degraded in the name of economic development. This is problematic because environmental amenities are valued by the public, but traditional market analysis typically obscures the value of these goods and services that are not explicitly traded in a market setting. This research examines the non-market value of environmental amenities in Greenville County, SC, by utilizing a hedonic price model of home sale data in 2011. We overlaid home sale data with 2011 National Land Cover Data to estimate the value of a forest view, proximity to a forest, and proximity to agriculture on the value of homes. We then ran two regression models, an ordinary least squares (OLS) and a geographically weighted regression to compare the impact of space on the hedonic model variables. Results show that citizens in Greenville County are willing to pay for environmental amenities, particularly views of a forest and proximity to forested and agricultural areas. However, the impact and directionality of these variables differ greatly across space. These findings suggest the need for an integration of spatial dynamics into environmental valuation estimates to inform conservation policy and intentional city planning.

Highlights

By 2030, global urban land cover is likely to increase by 1,527,000 km2 leading to habitat loss, forest fragmentation, and reduced ecosystem services [1,2]
Coefficient values in the global model indicate a desire to be close to both forested and agricultural areas. This is consistent with other studies in the region—much of the recent growth in Southern Appalachia has followed that of typical ex-urbanization or amenity migration patterns, whereby the rolling mountains and rural character is a draw to people moving out from suburban areas [4,60,61]
As development continues to expand at the expense of forested and agricultural areas, demand for these environmental amenities may paradoxically increase

Summary

Introduction

By 2030, global urban land cover is likely to increase by 1,527,000 km leading to habitat loss, forest fragmentation, and reduced ecosystem services [1,2]. As developmental pressures continue to rise at regional levels, the environmental quality will become more strained, eventually resulting in inequitable access to green spaces [3] This pattern is further complicated by ex-urbanization and amenity migration, whereby the increased ease of travel and use of telecommuting has pushed development beyond the typical suburban sprawl, as urbanites seek residence in greener, more rural areas [4,5]. Local governments are challenged to preserve place-based resources, such as protected public land and open space, while satisfying new residents and their desire for the infrastructure that allows them to live near such resources [6].

Results

Discussion

Conclusion