LAUSR

Abstract Areas devoted to maintained residential landscapes are a common trend in new community planning, increasing the potential for unintended environmental consequences. State, local governments, and water management organizations are interested in policies that promote low-input residential landscapes and relevant landscaping practices by individual households to mitigate potential adverse environmental impacts. Converting traditional, turfgrass dominated residential lawns into low-input landscapes (i.e., design with lawn / plant bed combination) is one approach for water conservation. Additional considerations of perceived economic benefits of residential landscapes, such as the home value-added benefits (VAB), may affect the adoption decision. However, the relationship between individuals’ perceived VAB of low-input landscapes and preferences needs further investigation. The present study used a discrete choice experiment (CE) framework to investigate the effects of individuals’ perceived VAB on willingness to pay for environmentally friendly landscapes. The results revealed that simple economic benefits information alone does not affect homeowners’ landscape preferences. The perceived VAB significantly affect individuals’ adoption intentions, so that improving households’ perception of VAB can help encourage pro-environmental behavior. Contributions to the residential landscape preferences literature and practical implications for industry stakeholders are discussed.