Public Evaluation of the Effects of River Restoration Projects on Social Benefits

River systems worldwide are severely degraded due to diverse threats. River restoration aiming to reverse negative impacts has become a priority strategy for enhancing social benefits and river ecosystems in urban development. River restoration projects provide multiple ecosystem services to human beings, and social benefits derived from cultural services have been underestimated and have attracted increasing interest from researchers and policymakers. The purpose of this research is to investigate the public evaluation of the impacts of river restoration projects on social benefits. Two restored river sites in Hong Kong were selected as the case sites. The questionnaire survey was implemented to collect the public evaluation of the social benefits derived from the cultural services of the restored projects, and their visiting patterns and feelings. Regarding the evaluation of the cultural services, the public thought the restored rivers contribute to public health, quality of life, and recreation activities. Additionally, the respondents thought there is a substantial improvement in the aesthetics of the environment. Many people are supportive of similar projects in future implementation. The results summarized from the 158 responses show that local citizens frequently visit the restored river sites for diverse motivations. People generally feel good about air condition and sounds at the restored sites. Most people are in a good mood when staying at the restored sites, indicating that river restoration contributes to the public’s healthy living. A large proportion of people think there are no negative impacts of projects though some people are concerned about insects, guano, and animal disease. Generally, the public holds a positive view of the projects. The research finding enables policymakers to understand the public’s opinions on the river restoration projects and increase their confidence in implementing more similar projects in the urban environment.