Willingness to pay for sustainable drainage systems in a highly urbanised city: a contingent valuation study in Hong Kong

Sustainable drainage systems (SuDS) reduce surface runoff and pollution from developed areas using various techniques such as green roofs and porous pavements. These systems are becoming popular worldwide, except in highly urbanised cities. This study used contingent valuation to investigate city dwellers’ perceptions of SuDS and their willingness to pay (WTP). Face‐to‐face interviews were conducted with 600 respondents in Hong Kong. In general, the participants’ understanding of stormwater management was not strong, although they supported SuDS. The mean and the median WTP were 8.8 and 15.0%, respectively, of the current government spending on stormwater management for public places, and 1.8 and 2.5%, respectively, of the property price for private properties. These WTP were lower than those reported in the previous overseas studies. Respondents who were relatively younger, better educated, had higher income, and came from a previously flooded district had higher WTP. These results facilitated strategic SuDS implementation in highly urbanised cities.