More than money: how multiple factors influence householder participation in at-source stormwater management

Abstract

Urban stormwater run-off is a threat to stream ecosystems. New approaches to stormwater management aim to protect urban streams from such impacts, by retaining, treating and using stormwater at its source. As up to ∼50% of runoff from urban surfaces comes from private property, fostering stormwater retention requires effective householder engagement. We evaluated householder participation in the Little Stringybark Creek project, a stormwater retrofit programme aimed at waterway protection, using qualitative enquiry through formal and informal interviews to identify factors that influenced participation. Participation was governed by multiple factors, with financial incentives and personal co-benefits of tanks primary motivators, while process complexity and distrust were primary barriers. Results suggest an approach combining education to encourage review of subjective norms and attitudes, with incentives to mitigate behavioural controls can transform public behaviour towards sustainable stormwater management.

Keywords:

• low-impact development
• stormwater management
• community participation
• community trust
• theory of planned behaviour
• civic environmentalism

Acknowledgments

The project was undertaken under an ethics approval granted by The University of Melbourne [grant number 0720064.1]. The authors wish to thank the anonymous reviewers who provided positive and encouraging feedback on the manuscript, as well as the community of Mt Evelyn who willingly participated in interviews and the broader LSC project.

Additional information

Funding

The LSC Project is supported by the ARC Linkage Programme [grant number LP0883610], [grant number LP130100295]; and by Melbourne Water through the Melbourne Waterway Research-Practice Partnership. Tim D. Fletcher is supported by an ARC Future Fellowship [grant number FT100100144]. Helen L. Brown was supported by an Australian Government Endeavour Research Fellowship. The views expressed herein are those of the authors and not necessarily those of the funding bodies.