Residents’ Preferences on Green Infrastructure in Wuhan, China

Green infrastructure (GI) provides considerable benefits, including stormwater runoff management, biodiversity conservation, and urban sustainability promotion, and thus has garnered widespread attention. However, the limited research on residents’ preferences for GI constrains further promotion in China. To address this issue, data were collected from 436 residents in Wuhan, China, through an online survey. This study employed a comprehensive analytical framework that integrates best–worst scaling (BWS) with the contingent valuation method (CVM) to assess the preferences of residents in Wuhan, China, for six types of GI and estimate their willingness to pay (WTP) for GI enhancements. The conditional model and mixed logit model results indicated that residents preferred GI facilities that offer direct benefits, such as street trees and permeable pavements, and showed a lower preference for structures less suited to a Chinese context, such as eco-roofs. Regarding heterogeneity, only permeable pavements showed significant variation in preferences. Furthermore, the average WTP for GI enhancement was 142.28 RMB/household/year. Factors including familiarity with GI, information sources, and air quality improvement perceptions positively influenced the WTP, while low income negatively impacted the WTP. These findings offer insights for urban planners to develop effective policies to enhance public support for GI and promote urban sustainability.