Water Policy (Jun 2023)
The role of project components for the acceptance of an inner city river restoration project in Bad Bergzabern, Germany
Abstract
The poor conditions of rivers worldwide make restoration an issue of great importance and urgency. The acceptance of restoration by society is crucial, however, the factors determining such acceptance are still poorly understood. In particular, the understanding of the complex interplay between the acceptance or rejection of specific project components and the acceptance of the overall project require further exploration. To address this research gap, we analyze a restoration project in Bad Bergzabern, Germany to (1) investigate the acceptance of the overall project and its components, and (2) explore why people accept or reject specific components. Three hundred and twenty-one in-person interviews were conducted and the factors of acceptance were analyzed using logistic regression. Our findings show that while acceptance of the overall project is generally high, many respondents reject one or more project components. Complementary social project components, like a playground, find less support than purely ecological components. Overall, our research shows that differences in the acceptance of components depend on individual concerns, the quality of communication, attachment to the site, and age. Our results contribute to a better understanding of preferences for river restoration projects and help water managers design restoration projects that are highly accepted by society. HIGHLIGHTS To increase the acceptance of WFD objectives and thus accelerate implementation, public concerns need to be taken seriously.; Social project components add value for the population, but also lead to new concerns that can jeopardize the acceptance of river restoration projects.; Cost and flood concerns are partly based on wrong assumptions and needlessly lower the acceptance of river restoration projects.;
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