Préférences des usagers pour la gestion des espaces verts urbains sans pesticides : l’exemple de la France

The ban on the use of pesticides in French urban green spaces from January 2017 changed the management of these spaces. This article explores user preferences for green spaces in this new context. The discrete choice method was applied to a representative sample of the French urban population to analyze their preferences regarding the adaptation of green spaces to management without pesticides. We estimate preferences for characteristics of green spaces of direct interest to users (visual appearance, recreational opportunities and access to information on the pesticide-free management of green spaces), but also less visible characteristics such as fauna abundance, the working conditions of green space maintenance staff and the share of the public budget dedicated to green spaces. Our results show that all citizens devalue the options resulting in a significant increase in the budget, but preferences over other attributes depend on the frequency of visit to green spaces. Most residents prefer a natural look to a controlled one, but this is more true for people who frequent green spaces. The frequency of visits also has an impact on preferences regarding the abundance of wildlife (valued only by frequent users) and information campaigns (valued only by those who rarely frequent green spaces).