Redefining Our Urban Boundaries: Valuing Development Pathways for (Peri)Urban Vacant and Derelict Land

Low-elevation coastal zones are becoming increasingly vulnerable to the impacts of climate change, including sea level rise, intensified storm events, and accelerated coastal erosion. Historically, the abundance of resources in coastal regions has contributed to the emergence of major global cities. Now, despite escalating exposure and vulnerabilities to coastal hazards, coastal migration and urbanisation persist, highlighting society's socio-economic dependence on coastal ecosystems.

 

In post-industrial cities, balancing urban resilience with socio-economic development has led to a critical review of how vacant and derelict land can be redeveloped to enhance ecological function, resilience, and social cohesion. This study examines public preference for hybrid blue-green infrastructure as a nature-based solution in urban and peri-urban environments vulnerable to coastal hazards. Prior UK research has highlighted the public's preference for saltmarsh conservation, as well as the ecosystem services it provides, with a focus on rural and protected areas. However, there remains a limited understanding of public preferences for introducing saltmarsh as part of hybrid blue-green infrastructure at the urban fringe.

 

This study addresses this gap by using the Contingent Valuation Method to estimate the willingness to pay for redeveloping vacant and derelict land into hybrid blue-green infrastructure that provides flood and climate resilience through coastal buffer zones and multifunctional green spaces. A representative sample of the Scottish population (n = 2000) was drawn from sixteen local authorities surrounding the Clyde and Forth estuaries. Using a split-sample design, we evaluated how visualisations of vacant and derelict land versus a residential urban development influenced public valuation of estuarine nature-based restoration.

 

Our results demonstrate a preference for nature-based restoration over conventional grey infrastructure, highlighting the perceived social and environmental benefits of nature-based solutions in estuarine environments. Mean willingness to pay per annum per household was £35.98 in the Clyde Estuary Region and £39.31 in the Forth Estuary Region. By estimating willingness to pay for the creation of hybrid blue-green infrastructure, this research provides a valuation framework to inform adaptive urban planning and climate-resilient transitions in coastal environments.