Ecosystem Services, Green Infrastructure and Spatial Planning

Sustainable development has to be based on scientific knowledge, social agreements, and political decisions. This study aimed to analyse the implementation of the ecosystem services approach (ESA) in the spatial planning of the Basque Country, via the co-creation of knowledge. This paper uses a proposal for a regional green infrastructure (GI) to examine the co-creation of knowledge process. It addresses the community of practice; a process of co-creation of knowledge through workshops and meeting, SWOT (Strengths, Weaknesses, Opportunities, and Threats) analysis using an online survey, and mapping and identification of the multifunctional areas that provide ecosystem services (ES) to develop a GI. Results indicate that ESA has been included in spatial planning actions at different scales (biosphere reserve, metropolitan area, and region). This subsequently created an avenue for understanding the political necessities at play, so that scientists can develop useful tools for sustainable development. The findings also draw attention to the importance of establishing a constructive and mutually comprehensible dialogue between politicians, technical experts and scientists. For ES to be part of spatial planning, ESA has to be taken into account at the beginning of the planning process. We conclude that building bridges between science and spatial planning can help establish science-based management guidelines and tools that help enhance the sustainability of the territory.

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Interactive spatial planning of urban green infrastructure – Retrofitting green roofs where ecosystem services are most needed in Oslo

Ecosystem Services ◽

10.1016/j.ecoser.2021.101314 ◽

2021 ◽

Vol 50 ◽

pp. 101314

Author(s):

Zander S. Venter ◽

David N. Barton ◽

Laura Martinez-Izquierdo ◽

Johannes Langemeyer ◽

Francesc Baró ◽

...

Keyword(s):

Ecosystem Services ◽

Green Infrastructure ◽

Spatial Planning ◽

Green Roofs ◽

Urban Green ◽

Urban Green Infrastructure

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Mapping Green Infrastructure Based on Multifunctional Ecosystem Services: A Sustainable Planning Framework for Utah’s Wasatch Front

Sustainability ◽

10.3390/su14020825 ◽

2022 ◽

Vol 14 (2) ◽

pp. 825

Author(s):

Richard leBrasseur

Keyword(s):

Ecosystem Services ◽

Green Infrastructure ◽

Ecosystem Service ◽

Spatial Planning ◽

Salt Lake ◽

Salt Lake City ◽

City Region ◽

Planning Framework ◽

Sustainable Planning ◽

Unique Green

Most sustainable planning frameworks assess natural and social–economic landscape systems as separate entities, and our understanding of the interrelationships between them is incomplete. Landscape classification in urbanizing environments requires an integrated spatial planning approach to better address the United Nation’s sustainable development challenges. The objective of this research is to apply a multicriteria evaluation which ranked diverse ecosystem–service producing landscapes and synthesize the findings within a unique green infrastructure spatial planning framework. Local government stakeholder derived weighting and GIS classification were operated to map both the urban and natural landscapes of the Salt Lake City region of Utah, one of the most rapidly urbanizing areas in North America. Results were assimilated through five regional landscape typologies—Ecological, Hydrological, Recreational, Working Lands, and Community—and indicated those highest ranked landscape areas which provided multiple ecosystem services. These findings support collaborative decision making among diverse stakeholders with overlapping objectives and illustrates pathways to the development of ecosystem service criteria. This paper contributes to a better understanding of how to integrate data and visualize the strategic approaches required for sustainable planning and management, particularly in urban and urbanizing regions where complex socioecological landscapes predominate.

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Green infrastructure spatial planning considering ecosystem services assessment and trade-off analysis. Application at landscape scale in Galicia region (NW Spain)

Ecosystem Services ◽

10.1016/j.ecoser.2020.101115 ◽

2020 ◽

Vol 43 ◽

pp. 101115 ◽

Cited By ~ 2

Author(s):

Andrés M. García ◽

Inés Santé ◽

Xurxo Loureiro ◽

David Miranda

Keyword(s):

Ecosystem Services ◽

Green Infrastructure ◽

Spatial Planning ◽

Landscape Scale ◽

Nw Spain ◽

Trade Off ◽

Analysis Application

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Integration of Ecosystem Services in Strategic Environmental Assessment of a Peri-Urban Development Plan

Sustainability ◽

10.3390/su13010122 ◽

2020 ◽

Vol 13 (1) ◽

pp. 122

Author(s):

Teodoro Semeraro ◽

Benedetta Radicchio ◽

Pietro Medagli ◽

Stefano Arzeni ◽

Alessio Turco ◽

...

Keyword(s):

Ecosystem Services ◽

Urban Development ◽

Environmental Assessment ◽

Green Infrastructure ◽

Strategic Environmental Assessment ◽

Development Plan ◽

Mitigation Measures ◽

The Sustainable Development ◽

South Italy ◽

Urban Plan

Strategic environmental assessment (SEA) can support decision-makers in constructing more sustainable plans, programs, and policies (PPPs). To be more coherent with new frontiers of sustainable cities, PPPs need to include conservation objectives and to increase ecosystem service (ES) strategies. The ES concept is not intrinsic to the SEA process; therefore, it is necessary to develop an approach and methodology to include it. In this paper, we propose a methodology to integrate the concept of ecosystem services in all phases of the SEA process for a sub-urban plan, including the design of mitigation measures. The case study is represented by a peri-urban development plan in the municipality of Gallipoli in South Italy, characterized by a strong tourism economy and valuable agro-ecosystems. The analysis shows the priority ecosystem services that are selected considering the sustainable development and environmental goals, the context of referment, and the aims of the peri-urban plan. After, we highlight the potential ecosystem services developed considering the design of mitigation actions like green infrastructure, which could be implemented in the peri-urban plan. The capacity to develop green infrastructure in SEA processes can configure the SEA as a tool for ecological urban design that is integrated with urban planning. This requires the ability to transfer ecological and planning theories into practical actions and the capacity of different disciplines to work in a transdisciplinary approach.

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Assessing urban ecosystem services in support of spatial planning in the Hague, the Netherlands

Landscape and Urban Planning ◽

10.1016/j.landurbplan.2021.104195 ◽

2021 ◽

Vol 214 ◽

pp. 104195

Author(s):

Janneke van Oorschot ◽

Benjamin Sprecher ◽

Maarten van 't Zelfde ◽

Peter M. van Bodegom ◽

Alexander P.E. van Oudenhoven

Keyword(s):

Ecosystem Services ◽

The Netherlands ◽

Spatial Planning ◽

Urban Ecosystem ◽

Urban Ecosystem Services ◽

The Hague

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Adjusted Unit Value Transfer as a Tool for Raising Awareness on Ecosystem Services Provided by Constructed Wetlands for Water Pollution Control: An Italian Case Study

International Journal of Environmental Research and Public Health ◽

10.3390/ijerph18041531 ◽

2021 ◽

Vol 18 (4) ◽

pp. 1531

Author(s):

Anacleto Rizzo ◽

Giulio Conte ◽

Fabio Masi

Keyword(s):

Water Pollution ◽

Ecosystem Services ◽

Constructed Wetlands ◽

Pollution Control ◽

Green Infrastructure ◽

Low Cost ◽

Water Pollution Control ◽

Italian Case ◽

Value Transfer ◽

Unit Value

Constructed wetlands (CWs) are nature-based solutions (NBS) for water pollution control that can also be designed to be multipurpose in terms of additional ecosystem services (ESs), such as biodiversity support and social benefits. Awareness about additional ESs of CWs can be raised with value transfer (VT) methods for ESs monetization, in particular, the simplified adjusted unit VT method. A multi-criteria analysis (MCA) was performed to compare grey and green infrastructure alternatives for the management of a combined sewer overflow in the Buccinasco town (Italy), in which the criteria related to ESs were monetized with an adjusted VT method (B£ST software). The results highlighted the potential interest in the implementation of the green infrastructure in a new urban park, due to the activation of additional ESs of interest, such as health and recreational aspects. The results were also confirmed by a sensitivity analysis, which simulated the variation of preferences among different stakeholder groups (e.g., citizens, environmentalists). In conclusion, this work provided a transparent methodology to support decisions regarding green and grey infrastructure, allowing to evaluate additional ESs from the beginning of the decision stage with low cost and efforts.

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Estimating Air Pollution Removal and Monetary Value for Urban Green Infrastructure Strategies Using Web-Based Applications

Land ◽

10.3390/land10080788 ◽

2021 ◽

Vol 10 (8) ◽

pp. 788

Author(s):

Alessio Russo ◽

Wing Tung Chan ◽

Giuseppe T. Cirella

Keyword(s):

Ecosystem Services ◽

Green Infrastructure ◽

Well Being ◽

Air Pollutant ◽

Pollutant Removal ◽

Tree Canopy ◽

Tree Planting ◽

City Centre ◽

Online Tools ◽

Pollution Removal

More communities around the world are recognizing the benefits of green infrastructure (GI) and are planting millions of trees to improve air quality and overall well-being in cities. However, there is a need for accurate tools that can measure and value these benefits whilst also informing the community and city managers. In recent years, several online tools have been developed to assess ecosystem services. However, the reliability of such tools depends on the incorporation of local or regional data and site-specific inputs. In this communication, we have reviewed two of the freely available tools (i.e., i-Tree Canopy and the United Kingdom Office for National Statistics) using Bristol City Centre as an example. We have also discussed strengths and weaknesses for their use and, as tree planting strategy tools, explored further developments of such tools in a European context. Results show that both tools can easily calculate ecosystem services such as air pollutant removal and monetary values and at the same time be used to support GI strategies in compact cities. These tools, however, can only be partially utilized for tree planting design as they do not consider soil and root space, nor do they include drawing and painting futures. Our evaluation also highlights major gaps in the current tools, suggesting areas where more research is needed.

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