Willingness of Older Adults to Pay for the Cooling Services Provided by Urban Blue-Green Spaces in the City of Chengdu, China

Global warming is a growing threat to public health, and older adults are most vulnerable to heat waves. The cooling services provided by urban blue-green spaces can effectively alleviate heat-related effects. However, studies regarding appropriate heat mitigation plans for older adults are limited. This study analyzed the perceived heat-related (HR) living, psychological, and physical impacts, as well as HR perception, awareness, and knowledge, of 332 older adults from Chengdu, China. It also analyzed their willingness to pay (WTP) and the payment amount (PA) for cooling services and identified the associated contributors. The results show that living and psychological impacts are severe. The respondents’ knowledge of cooling services, HR mitigation, and hazards was low. Ensuring uninterrupted power and water supplies was the most urgent measure. In total, 49.39% of respondents were willing to pay for cooling services. The average PAs were 20.23 and 43.07 RMB annually in the conservative and ideal scenarios, respectively (n = 332). In addition, three variables were found to have a significant positive influence on WTP, while four variables were positive factors of PA. Therefore, this study provides a reference for understanding the mechanism of payment issues of older adults regarding improving and advancing heat-related mitigation and adaptation strategies.