Preference and perception of individuals for blue-green infrastructure in the promotion of climate-resilient cities: A visual experiment in Ireland and China

Abstract

Bluegreen infrastructure (BGI) combines hydrological measures and various socioecological functions and is being increasingly acknowledged as a means of promoting climate-resilient cities. Unlike ordinary familiar landscapes and typical underground conventional drainage infrastructure types, BGI is visible as a critical part of urban landscapes. However, studies analysing human BGI perception and preference for distinctive visual BGI appearance are still scarce. Using two cities (Dublin, Ireland and Xi’an, China) with different sociocultural and geographic contexts as case studies, human responses to BGI were studied by developing a photo comparison experiment (PCE) leveraging 15 visual stimuli that reflect five BGI dimensions. The main findings demonstrate that 1) stronger perceived naturalness is preferred over reduced perceived naturalness in BGI, but an excessive sense of naturalness can result in a lower preference for BGI; 2) the preference for perceived naturalness implied in BGI is associated with the perception of BGI landscape component value; and 3) there is a discrepancy between the preference pattern (personal preference with affective reaction) and the acceptance pattern (cognitive or rational understanding of the suitability of BGI implementation based on nonaffective reactions). By generating place-specific knowledge and comparisons, this study contributes to the planning, design and management of urban BGI in Dublin and Xi'an and highlights the need to consider the specificities of each city in BGI design and management, providing insights for other cities in these regions facing the need for wider BGI implementation.