Understanding socio-economic benefits of stormwater management system through urban lakes in Western Sydney, Australia

Increasingly, stormwater management systems such as urban lakes and wetlands are being implemented in developing urban areas. They are designed to serve multiple purposes. Urban stormwater management systems have environmental, economic, and social impacts. The main aim of this study was to explore the community values and social and economic benefits of urban lakes in the Western Sydney region of New South Wales, Australia. The study involved two case study sites and community surveys using the tailored design method. For this study, a combination of three methods of data collection was used; online, onsite and letterbox drop off surveys. The survey explored several aspects such as community wellbeing, environment and property value benefits. Responses from the community show that there is an overall positive perception of the lake and associated parkland. When asked, over 70% of the respondents stated that there is a positive impact of the lake on the property prices. Additionally, 50% of residents found that there was moderate to significant impact of the lake on both mental and physical wellbeing of people. Approximately 20% of respondents stated that they would not exercise if the local lake system did not exist. Also, 60% of the respondents stated that the lake improved their quality of life. Furthermore, a hedonic property price analysis was done to quantify the impact of the lake on the surrounding properties. A positive correlation was found between the lake and property prices of surrounding homes. The findings from this study provide evidence to policymakers and municipal councils to encourage investments to improve performance of existing lakes as well as develop new ones in the urban areas.