Designing (for) Urban Food Webs

Frontiers in Ecology and Evolution ◽

10.3389/fevo.2021.582041 ◽

2021 ◽

Vol 9 ◽

Author(s):

Alexander J. Felson ◽

Aaron M. Ellison

Keyword(s):

Ecosystem Services ◽

Food Webs ◽

Species Interactions ◽

Urban Environments ◽

Ecosystem Dynamics ◽

Urban Systems ◽

Urban Landscapes ◽

Anthropogenic Landscape ◽

Design Competition

Interest is growing in designing resilient and ecologically rich urban environments that provide social and ecological benefits. Regenerative and biocentric designs fostering urban ecological habitats including food webs that provide ecosystem services for people and wildlife increasingly are being sought. However, the intentional design of urban landscapes for food webs remains in an early stage with few precedents and many challenges. In this paper, we explore the potential to design (for) urban food webs through collaborations between designers and ecologists. We start by examining the ecology and management of Jamaica Bay in New York City as a case study of an anthropogenic landscape where ecosystems are degraded and the integrity of extant food webs are intertwined with human agency. A subsequent design competition focusing on ecological design and management of this large-scale landscape for animal habitat and ecosystem services for people illustrates how designers approach this anthropogenic landscape. This case study reveals that both designing urban landscapes for food webs and directly designing and manipulating urban food webs are complicated and challenging to achieve and maintain, but they have the potential to increase ecological health of, and enhance ecosystem services in, urban environments. We identify opportunities to capitalize on species interactions across trophic structures and to introduce managed niches in biologically engineered urban systems. The design competition reveals an opportunity to approach urban landscapes and ecological systems creatively through a proactive design process that includes a carefully crafted collaborative approach to constructing ecologically functioning landscapes that can integrate societal demands. As designers increasingly seek to build, adapt, and manage urban environments effectively, it will be critical to resolve the contradictions and challenges associated with human needs, ecosystem dynamics, and interacting assemblages of species. Ecologists and designers are still discovering and experimenting with designing (for) urban food webs and fostering species interactions within them. We recommend generating prototypes of urban food webs through a learning-by-doing approach in urban development projects. Design and implementation of urban food webs also can lead to research opportunities involving monitoring and experiments that identify and solve challenges of food-web construction while supporting and encouraging ongoing management.

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Lifestyle Properties, Ecosystem Services, and Biodiversity Protection in Peri-Urban Aotearoa–New Zealand: A Case Study from Peri-Urban Palmerston North

Land ◽

10.3390/land10121345 ◽

2021 ◽

Vol 10 (12) ◽

pp. 1345

Author(s):

Diane Pearson

Keyword(s):

New Zealand ◽

Ecosystem Services ◽

Native Species ◽

Natural Capital ◽

Management Strategies ◽

Urban Environments ◽

Urban Fringe ◽

Collaborative Action ◽

Aotearoa New Zealand

Intensive agriculture and urbanization are putting pressure on natural capital in Aotearoa–New Zealand (NZ), with native ecosystems and water quality suffering degradation. As the population has increased, so development has pushed into the rural–urban fringe. Over the last 30 years, the number of lifestyle properties in NZ has increased dramatically. Many of these properties have been developed on some of NZ’s most productive soils, meaning a loss of provisioning services from this land. However, given their location, these developments present new opportunities for the enhancement and protection of other ecosystem services. This paper presents the findings of an exploratory study conducted on lifestyle block residents in peri-urban Palmerston North. The results showed that these residents have a good sense of environmental stewardship and a desire to plant native species, improve connectivity, and protect their land from the invasion of pests and weeds. These residents are also quite community-focused and protective of their special place. This creates an excellent basis from which to encourage greater collaborative action towards protecting and enhancing biodiversity and to put in place land management strategies that can enhance natural capital and assist in other ecosystem service protection serving to improve the landscape ecology of peri-urban environments.

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Biogeochemical decoupling: how, where and when?

10.7287/peerj.preprints.26478 ◽

2018 ◽

Author(s):

Miguel Alvarez-Cobelas ◽

Salvador Sánchez-Carrillo ◽

Carmen Rojo

Keyword(s):

Community Structure ◽

Ecosystem Services ◽

Food Webs ◽

Chemical Element ◽

Chemical Elements ◽

Structure And Function ◽

Ecosystem Dynamics ◽

The Other ◽

And Function

Research has dealt with coupling of chemical element cycles and feedback in recent years. Sometimes, this biogeochemical coupling is reversed through abiotic or biotic (including man-made) processes. It is then called biogeochemical decoupling and is a disconnection between two chemical elements whereby transformations of one affect cycling of the other, and results in asynchronical behavior of chemical elements. It appears to be more important and widespread than earlier reports suggest, and gives rise to important changes in element stoichiometry of resources. These changes in turn modify organismal stoichiometry that, if great enough, can affect biodiversity and food webs, thus altering community structure and function. Biogeochemical decoupling then impinges on ecosystem dynamics and may impair ecosystem services.

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Biogeochemical decoupling: how, where and when?

10.7287/peerj.preprints.26478v1 ◽

2018 ◽

Author(s):

Miguel Alvarez-Cobelas ◽

Salvador Sánchez-Carrillo ◽

Carmen Rojo

Keyword(s):

Community Structure ◽

Ecosystem Services ◽

Food Webs ◽

Chemical Element ◽

Chemical Elements ◽

Structure And Function ◽

Ecosystem Dynamics ◽

The Other ◽

And Function

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Modelling Urban Environments to Promote Ecosystem Services and Biodiversity

International Journal of E-Planning Research ◽

10.4018/ijepr.2019070101 ◽

2019 ◽

Vol 8 (3) ◽

pp. 1-12 ◽

Cited By ~ 1

Author(s):

Anna Kaczorowska ◽

Meta Berghauser Pont

Keyword(s):

Ecosystem Services ◽

Urban Planning ◽

Planning Process ◽

Urban Environments ◽

System Model ◽

Urban Systems ◽

High Complexity ◽

Formal Policy ◽

Scale Levels ◽

Complementary Nature

Urbanization effects on vegetation and the alteration in land use is likely to be the major driver of fragmentation and the loss of ecosystem services (ESS) and biodiversity. Understanding varying levels of biodiversity within cities is pivotal to protect ESS. However, due to the high complexity of urban systems, ecological connectivity assessment in urban planning remains challenging. This article evaluates policy documents and tools for ESS assessment in Stockholm, Sweden. Stockholm is an interesting city for studying ESS planning and management since Sweden has a long tradition of formal policy for biodiversity management. An overview is presented of tools and approaches to measure ESS at different scale levels used in the urban planning process in Stockholm. Their application illustrates the complementary nature of these tools, but also the need to integrate them in a platform based on a GIS (Geographic Information System) model. Ultimately, the development of such an integrated tool should inform and support planning practice in guiding urban systems towards greater sustainability.

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Planning Cemeteries: Their Potential Contribution to Green Infrastructure and Ecosystem Services

Frontiers in Sustainable Cities ◽

10.3389/frsc.2021.789925 ◽

2021 ◽

Vol 3 ◽

Author(s):

Katie McClymont ◽

Danielle Sinnett

Keyword(s):

Ecosystem Services ◽

Detailed Analysis ◽

Green Infrastructure ◽

Urban Environments ◽

Potential Contribution ◽

Infrastructure Networks ◽

Planning Policy ◽

Cultural Regulation ◽

Depth Analysis

Cemeteries are often included in typologies of green infrastructure features, but there has been little exploration of their role within a multifunctional network of green infrastructure. This paper uses national greenspace data to map the contribution that cemetery space makes to accessible greenspace England. In doing so we provide a more comprehensive and detailed analysis of the scale of cemetery space in contemporary settlements, finding that cemeteries provide around 4% of accessible greenspace and are particularly important in high-density urban environments. Focusing then on an in-depth analysis of an urban case study, we survey 11 cemeteries that provide accessible greenspace for neighbourhoods in Bristol, UK. This suggests that cemeteries are delivering, or have the potential, to deliver ecosystem services and therefore form an important component of green infrastructure networks, but at the same time also need to provide culturally sensitive space for burial and remembrance. Despite the rhetoric, planning policy for cemeteries is not consistent in articulating their role as green infrastructure. We highlight the opportunities for greater cultural, regulation and maintenance services to be delivered, but also the need for greater dialogue between the different players involved in the maintenance and delivery of cemeteries.

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A possibility of spatial-functional protected natural assets coexistence in the urban landscapes: Belgrade case study

Glasnik srpskog geografskog drustva ◽

10.2298/gsgd0701185d ◽

2007 ◽

Vol 87 (1) ◽

pp. 185-192 ◽

Cited By ~ 1

Author(s):

Snezana Djurdjic ◽

Sanja Smiljanic

Keyword(s):

Development Trend ◽

Urban Landscapes ◽

Anthropogenic Landscape ◽

Natural Objects ◽

Active Protection ◽

High Level ◽

The Town

In this paper we will analyze specific reconciliation emergency of nature assets protection with a spatial and functional urban landscapes development trend. Due to multifunctional nature of urban landscapes, high level of air, water and land pollution, noise magnitude exalted influence, disarrangement of autochthony communications flows inside major nature complexes, as well as other forms of anthrop pressure on the nature assets, active protection process of such assets and theirs management becomes more and more complex. On the town Belgrade territory it is recorded more than 45 natural objects which are protected by law and are under custody and managemental regime that enable theirs sustainable existence in the dominantly anthropogenic landscape.

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A Framework for Optimizing Green Infrastructure Networks Based on Landscape Connectivity and Ecosystem Services

Sustainability ◽

10.3390/su131810053 ◽

2021 ◽

Vol 13 (18) ◽

pp. 10053

Author(s):

Xuemin Shi ◽

Mingzhou Qin ◽

Bin Li ◽

Dan Zhang

Keyword(s):

Sustainable Development ◽

Ecosystem Services ◽

Green Infrastructure ◽

Yellow River ◽

Landscape Connectivity ◽

Urban Ecosystem ◽

Urban Landscapes ◽

Spatial Pattern Analysis ◽

Least Cost Path

Optimizing the layout of green infrastructure (GI) is an effective way to alleviate the fragmentation of urban landscapes, coordinate the relationship between urban development and urban ecosystem services, and ensure the sustainable development of cities. This study provides a new technical framework for optimizing GI networks based on a case study of Kaifeng, an exemplar of many ancient cities along the Yellow River in China. To do this, we used a morphological spatial pattern analysis (MSPA) methodology and combined it with Procedure for mAthematical aNalysis of lanDscape evOlution and equilibRium scenarios Assessment (PANDORA) model to determine the hubs of the GI network. Then we employed a least-cost path approach to simulate potential corridors linking the hubs. We further identify the key ‘pinch points’ of the GI network that need priority protection based on circuit theory. Altogether, this framework takes patches that have a high level of ecosystem services and are more important in maintaining overall connectivity as hubs, thereby improving the accuracy of hub identification. Moreover, it establishes a direct connection between GI construction and ecosystem services, and improves biodiversity conservation by optimizing the network structure of GI. The results of the case study show that this framework is suitable for GI planning and construction, and can provide effective technical support for the formulation of urban sustainable development strategies.

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