Effects of Urban Spatial Structure, Sociodemographics, and Climate on Residential Water Consumption in Hillsboro, Oregon¹

Abstract

House‐Peters, Lily, Bethany Pratt, and Heejun Chang, 2010. Effects of Urban Spatial Structure, Sociodemographics, and Climate on Residential Water Consumption in Hillsboro, Oregon. Journal of the American Water Resources Association (JAWRA) 46(3):461‐472. DOI: 10.1111/j.1752‐1688.2009.00415.x Abstract: In the Portland metropolitan area, suburban growth in cities such as Hillsboro is projected to increase as people seek affordable housing near a burgeoning metropolis. The most significant determinants for increases in water demand are population growth, climate change, and the type of urban development that occurs. This study analyzes the spatial patterns of single family residential (SFR) water consumption in Hillsboro, Oregon, at the census block scale. The following research questions are addressed: (1) What are the significant determinants of SFR water consumption in Hillsboro, Oregon? (2) Is SFR water demand sensitive to drought conditions and interannual climate variation? (3) To what magnitude do particular census blocks react to drought conditions and interannual climate variation? Using ordinary least squares multiple regression and spatial regression methods, we found that base use, representing indoor water use, is dependent on household size and that seasonal use, representing external water use is dependent on both education level and the size of the property’s outdoor space. Spatial analysis techniques determined that although the water demand of the study area as a whole is not sensitive to drought conditions, certain individual census blocks do respond with a higher magnitude of water use. The most climate‐sensitive census blocks tend to contain newer and larger homes, and have higher property values and more affluent and well‐educated residents.

Responding to the Drought: A Spatial Statistical Approach to Investigating Residential Water Consumption in Fresno, California

“…For a given place, the determinants reported in past research may not all have significant effects on residential water consumption. For instance, year built, building size, property value, income, and age were not significant determinants for Hillsboro, Oregon [17]. Among 14 independent variables derived from a small data (N = 264) in Melbourne, Australia, only household size, property value, and the number of washing machine loads per week were significant, explaining 60% of the variation in the water consumption [35].…”

“…The study also suggested that water-saving innovations would result in spillover effects across the study region. At the census tract level, House-Peters et al [17] reported that spatial autocorrelation of water consumption existed among neighboring census tracts in Hillsboro, Oregon. In the case of water scarcity, planners and policy makers can use these neighborhood effects as a lever to change people's water-use behavior, and help create a water-saving culture in communities [26].…”

“…On the other hand, the SAR 2 results, with a larger spatial catchment, show that residents in a community would have similar water-use behavior because they share similar physical and sociocultural environments. This might suggest that a community could be the initial target, due to the spillover effects, for promoting water-saving policies [17].…”

“…For example, a strong community engagement can be used to foster water-saving policies [14]. At the individual level, a resident's water-use behavior is likely affected by their community neighbors [15][16][17]. Such individuals' interactions could also operate at the community level.…”

Investigating the Predictors of Domestic Water Consumption in Urban Households with Children Under-Five Years: A Panel Study in the Atwima Nwabiagya District, Ghana

“…In addition, Agthe and Billings (1987), Arbués and Villanua (2006), Arbués et al (2003), Baumann et al (1998), Gaudin et al (2001), and Hoffmann et al (2006) emphasized the influence of income on domestic water consumption. In reality, domestic water consumption is not only influenced by economic factors but also by socio-demographic factors such as population growth (Morehouse et al 2002), age (Kenney et al, 2008), education (House-Peters et al, 2010), age of building , and number of bed rooms (Fox et al, 2009).…”