Estimating Civic Awareness and Willingness to Pay (WTP) for Rooftop Greenhouses: A Study of Seoul Residents

Background and objective: In hardscape-dominated cities, rooftop greenhouses(RGs) are considered a viable alternative for providing high-quality food, greenery, and experiences to citizens. However, existing research has predominantly focused on conventional urban agriculture, and rooftop greenhouses remain under-researched on an international scale. In this study, we use the contingent valuation method (CVM) to estimate the willingness to pay (WTP) for RGs among residents of Seoul, South Korea, and evaluate their comprehensive value.Methods: A questionnaire including items on respondents’ characteristics, WTP, and civic awareness of RGs was prepared, and WTP was estimated using the double-bounded dichotomous choice (DBDC) model. On the basis of these copies, utility theoretic analysis and the logit model of CVM were employed to estimate the WTP for RG among Seoul residents.Results: The per capita WTP for RG among Seoul residents was 30,260. On the basis of this result, the value of RGs in Seoul was approximately 220 billion KRW. Most respondents preferred a combination of crop production and experiences. This outcome suggests that future RGs in buildings should include spaces for citizen experiences and education. Respondents suggested that the most necessary measure to promote RGs was providing customized education on building and managing rooftop greenhouses, followed by providing and subsidies, and promoting related policies and projects.Conclusion: The findings of this study can be utilized to convey the global importance of RGs and as a basis for establishing related policies and increasing the participation of local residents. In addition, considering that Seoul has recently implemented a project to install RGs on existing commercial buildings, the results of this study will be highly useful.