The SDGs, Ecosystem Services and Cities: A Network Analysis of Current Research Innovation for Implementing Urban Sustainability

Ecosystem services provide essential services for cities and are key factors in achieving many of the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs). Such services are best delivered through green infrastructure, which works in resourceful, multifunctional, synergistic, and environmentally sensitive ways to deliver ecosystem services and provide alternative cleaner pathways for the delivery of multiple urban services. It is unclear if current research supports the necessary linkages between ecosystem services, cities, and green infrastructure in order to achieve the SDGs. To answer this question, we conducted a systematic review analysing 3392 studies on the SDGs from the WoS database. The contents of 66 of those with relevance to ecosystem services and urban research were reviewed in depth. We applied network-analytic methods to map the relationships of different knowledge clusters of SDGs research (1) across time, (2) across disciplines, and (3) in relation to ecosystem services and cities. The results of our analysis show that research on the SDGs have developed stronger networks from 2010–2018, but this research has not been sustained. Further, whilst research on cities now occupies a central place in the SDGs literature, research on ecosystem services only shows tentative links to both green-infrastructure research and SDGs research. Such literature on urban green infrastructure remains peripheral to the central challenge of sustainable urban transitions. We conclude that when it comes to the SDGs, research articles typically consider urban services independently of green infrastructure. Further, it suggests that green infrastructure is not generally considered as a sustainable alternative to conventional urban infrastructures. To address this serious shortcoming, we recommend transdisciplinary approaches to link urban ecosystem and urban green infrastructure research to the 2030 global sustainability agenda.

Assessing Ecosystem and Urban Services for Landscape Suitability Mapping

Ecosystem services (ES) and urban services (US) can comparably improve human well-being. Models for integrating ES and US with unexpressed and objective needs of defined groups of stakeholders may prove helpful for supporting decisions in landscape planning and management. In fact, they could be applied for highlighting landscape areas with different characteristics in terms of services provided. From this base, a suitability spatial assessment model (SUSAM) was developed and applied in a study area considering different verisimilar scenarios that policy makers could analyse. Each scenario is based on the prioritization of a set of services considering a defined group of stakeholders. Consistent and comparable ES and US indices of spatial benefiting areas (SBA) of services were calculated using GIS spatialization techniques. These indices were aggregated hierarchically with the relevance of services according to a spatial multicriteria decision analysis (S-MCDA). Results include maps for each scenario showing detailed spatial indices of suitability that integrate the local availability of SBA of ES and US, along with their relevance. The results were compared with known landscape classes identified in previous studies, which made it possible to interpret the spatial variation of suitability in the light of known landscape features. A complete sensitivity analysis was performed to test the sensitiveness of the model’s outputs to variations of judgements and their resistance to the indicators’ variation. The application of the model demonstrated its effectiveness in a landscape suitability assessment. At the same time, the sensitivity analysis and helping to understand the model behaviour in the different landscape classes also suggested possible solutions for simplifying the whole methodology.

Implementing Integrated Urban Services

<p>Cities are a spatial nexus for a great number of environmental change issues on all scales from natural disasters like flooding, heat waves to poor air quality and to climate change. These issues are closely linked to the land-cover and land-use changes associated with urbanisation including the urban layout, the local economy, transportation networks and energy systems. The environmental services to deal with the risks associated with climate changes have developed independently with distinct scientific infrastructures for different domains/areas (e.g. observation systems and models to support meteorology, hydrology or air quality are disconnected) and specific audiences associated with stakeholder needs. The result is that the services are fragmented, the infrastructure is not shared, and new audiences/services are not identified. In cities where the drivers and risks associated with climate changes are bundled, integration of services is needed to manage risks and support urban resilience.</p><p>The WMO has embarked on a mission to develop integrated urban services (IUS) to bring together different environmental services to share data and tools and develop a common system of communications that support risk management and long-term planning at urban scales. An IUS is envisaged as an evolving system that is co-created with stakeholders to ensure a service that is adaptable to specific urban environmental concerns. The WMO has created guidelines for the creation of an IUS and a report that showcases IUS using demonstration cities. This presentation focuses on the final component of this mission, that of implementing an IUS. As part of this work, the WMO has reached out to a wide spectrum of urban stakeholders to identify needs, which can form a framework for next generation services. In addition, it will evaluate the costs and benefits of implementing IUS in different socioeconomic settings.</p>

The Effect of Cultural City on Regional Activation through the Consumer Reactions of Urban Service

Many countries have adopted culture policies such as the European Capital of Culture program to revitalize cities. Culture brings economic benefit to a city through creative industries as well as vitalizes cities by allowing excellent workforce to stay in the city. In order to achieve urban growth through culture, appropriate urban policies or services should be implemented. In addition, citizens should recognize the positive brand value of cities as a result of such policies. In this study, we considered the cultural city as one of city branding and studied how the cultural cities’ characteristics, urban services, and the city’s brand value had the effect on regional activation. Online survey was conducted from 18 September to 18 October 2019 with residents residing in Xi’an, China. In total, 345 valid questionnaires were received and analyzed. As a result of this study, the characteristics of the cultural city had positive effects on urban brand value and regional activation. Urban services had positive effects on cultural city characteristics, city brand value, and regional activation. City brand value had a positive effect on regional activation. This study contributes to the study of the cultural city and the field of public service, city brand, culture, and arts. City planners and leaders will be able to use the results of this study to establish city branding and urban revitalization policies through culture.

Hazards, Infrastructure Networks and Unspecific Resilience

The aim of this paper is to provide a framework to improve urban resilience independently of the nature of the disturbances. Recent disasters had a significant impact on critical infrastructures providing essential urban services such as energy, transportation, telecommunication, water and food supply or health care. Indeed, several natural and human-made hazards may lead to disruptions, and most critical infrastructures are networked and highly interdependent. Henceforth, resilience building remain focused on specific hazards or on improving the resilience, separately, of single infrastructures. In order to enhance urban resilience, this paper is based on learnings from three case studies that are the 2001 WTC terrorist attack, hurricanes Irma and Maria in 2017 and the 2016 Seine river flood in Paris. These events highlight disruptions to urban services, but also some resilience options. In light of both the literature and our case studies, a framework of unspecific resilience is provided for improving some resilience principles, namely omnivory, redundancy, buffering, high flux, homeostasis and flatness within electric energy, water and food supply and transportation networks. Rebuilding resilience within this framework is further discussed with respect to all kinds of disruptive events.