Whether it is blue infrastructure or water-dependent green infrastructure such as parks and sporting fields, water-dependent features are highly desirable locations for Australians. Urban blue and green infrastructure is essential to the community's sense of wellbeing, and critical for resilience and sustainability, while reducing the impacts of heat, storms and other natural hazards.
The COVID-19 pandemic has further highlighted the value that residents place on water-reliant features in the urban environment. For example, a survey on how Sydney residents use green spaces found a 100% increase in people using the tracks and trails in Western Sydney Parklands since the start of the pandemic.52
The 2019 Audit identified the importance of these assets and their contribution to people's sense of wellbeing. They are also prepared to pay for it.
The 2019 Audit found Australians will pay up to 16% more for a house with greater access to open space and that residents in Sydney and Melbourne will pay an average of between $104 and $278 per year for stormwater projects that restore stream quality.53
This premium presents the potential for developing self-funding urban enhancement programs that leverage value sharing and other beneficiary-pays models.