An investigation into the use of experienced utility scores to assess multi-attribute changes in environmental quality

Much contemporary socio-economic environmental policy evaluation is undertaken using decision utility based approaches such as choice modelling and contingent valuation. In this paper we describe an investigation into the use of the contrasting “experienced utility” concept to assess changes in environmental quality. The research context is the development of a spatial decision support system that discriminates between catchment development options in terms of their effects on the receiving water bodies of urban storm water. We report the outcomes of the application of an expert elicitation process from the risk assessment literature to the trial of a visual analogue method designed to elicit experienced utility scores from consultation workshops to assess the effects of multi-attribute changes to ecosystem services in urban estuaries.