Preferences for forest proximity and recreational amenities revealed by the random bidding model: Fid-Bau Portal

Preferences for forest proximity and recreational amenities revealed by the random bidding model

Tuffery, Laetitia

Highlights • WTP for urban parks proximity is non-significant. • Forests appear as the most important recreational areas. • WTP depends on household socio-economic profile and forest amenities. • The wealthiest households prefer large forests including biodiversity richness. • The youngest households prefer well-managed with facilities forest areas.

Abstract In the context of increased political focus on improving the quality of urban environments, knowledge of household preferences for recreational environments is needed. This research note seeks to reveal the willingness to pay (WTP) for forest proximity and its amenities in housing choice location based on the random bidding model. Four major findings are obtained: (i) The WTP for urban park proximity is globally non-significant compared with that of forest areas; (ii) When forests are recreational green spaces, the WTP is positive for more affluent socio-professional category (SPCs) and higher for the oldest households but negative for less affluent social groups; (iii) When forests are natural protected areas, the WTP is globally negative, especially for less affluent groups; and (iv) Forest amenities, such as hiking and biking paths, positively affect the WTP for almost all SPCs, especially the youngest households.