1st March 1998 - 29th February 2000
EPSRC
This is an interdisciplinary study focusing on the River Aire corridor in the city of Leeds.
The city of Leeds and in particular the area around the River Aire has been the subject of extensive redevelopment in the last decade. Some view this redevelopment as a key to the overall improvements in the city. Over the same period there have been clear improvements in water quality in the River Aire. Whether these were unrelated improvements or whether one was a precursor of another is currently unknown. It would be valuable for the planning and justification of future river related developments to understand the nature and strength of any relationship. We have conducted an extensive willingness to pay survey on residents of the River Aire corridor living within 2 kilometers of the river. This has allowed us to put a price on the water quality improvement that has been identified. The project has also examined house price changes in a variety of housing types near the river and compared these to house price changes in comparable housing areas remote from the river. There are some indications of a preferential house price rise close to the river as the river quality and general amenity of the river corridor has improved.