The thesis aims to improve the information available for policy makers by providing reliable estimates of the value of environmental amenities. The thesis consists of four papers all of which are concerned with valuation of amenities through the housing market. The first paper has an emphasis on correctly identifying the amenity in question by acknowledging that amenities such as green space are heterogeneous. The second paper takes a critical look at standard spatial econometric techniques and suggests a semi-parametric alternative to handling omitted spatial processes on an unknown scale. The third paper addresses information provision as a policy tool by studying the publication of emissions information from a European register in Germany. The final paper recovers preferences for quiet (absence of road noise) to shed light on willingness to pay for non-marginal changes in noise levels.