Nature-based solutions (NBS) were introduced as integrated, multifunctional and multi-beneficial solutions to a wide array of socio-ecological challenges. Although principles for a common ...understanding and implementation of NBS were already developed on a landscape scale, specific principles are needed with regard to an application in urban areas. Urban areas come with particular challenges including (i) spatial conflicts with urban system nestedness, (ii) specific urban biodiversity, fragmentation and altered environments, (iii) value plurality, multi-actor interdependencies and environmental injustices, (iv) path-dependencies with cultural and planning legacies and (v) a potential misconception of cities as being artificial landscapes disconnected from nature. Given these challenges, in this perspective paper, we build upon and integrate knowledge from the most recent academic work on NBS in urban areas and introduce five distinct, integrated principles for urban NBS design, planning and implementation. Our five principles should help to transcend governance gaps and advance the scientific discourse of urban NBS towards a more effective and sustainable urban development. To contribute to resilient urban futures, the design, planning, policy and governance of NBS should (1) consider the need for a systemic understanding, (2) contribute to benefiting people and biodiversity, (3) contribute to inclusive solutions for the long-term, (4) consider context conditions and (5) foster communication and learning.
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•Multifunctionality is a crucial strategy for green spaces in compact cities.•Strategic planning and multifunctional site design need to complement each other.•Different functions and ...their interrelations need to be assessed systematically.•Delivering multifunctionality requires inter- and transdisciplinary collaboration.
Urban green infrastructure planning aims to develop green space networks on limited space in compact cities. Multifunctionality is considered key to achieving this goal as it supports planning practice that considers the ability of green spaces to provide multiple benefits concurrently. However, multifunctionality is an elusive concept and little information is available on how it is perceived and actioned by planners. Therefore, this paper will examine the application of the multifunctionality concept in urban planning based on a semi-quantitative study, including interviews with chief planners and analyses of planning documents, in 20 European cities as well as three qualitative good practice case studies. The semi-quantitative study revealed a broad awareness of the variety of social and ecological functions provided by green spaces in planning. Yet, the analysed strategic plans contained little information on how to enhance multifunctionality. Regardless of the lack of details, cities facing growth were more likely to consider promoting multifunctionality as a planning aim. The qualitative case studies in Germany (Berlin), the United Kingdom (Edinburgh) and Denmark (Aarhus) provided a detailed insight into how multifunctionality is handled on different spatial scales and revealed great differences from academic multifunctionality approaches that were developed in the context of ecosystem service assessments. The approaches applied in practice include audits based on indicators for multiple green space functions or the purposive design and management of multifunctional parks. Based on the findings, we arrive at five recommendations for promoting multifunctional urban green infrastructure in densifying urban areas: 1) undertake systematic spatial assessments of all urban green (and blue) spaces and their social, ecological and economic functions; 2) include standards and guidelines for multifunctionality in city-wide strategic planning; 3) encourage design and management for multifunctionality at the site-level while considering that not all sites must deliver the same set of functions. Further, spatial assessment, strategic planning and site design need to 4) consider synergies, trade-offs and the capacity of urban green spaces to provide functions as part of the wider green infrastructure network; and 5) largely benefit from cooperation between different sectors and public departments. These recommendations can also be instructive for research on ecosystem service assessments in order to develop approaches that more strongly correspond to the demands of planning practice.
Although a number of comprehensive reviews have examined global ecosystem services (ES), few have focused on studies that assess urban ecosystem services (UES). Given that more than half of the ...world’s population lives in cities, understanding the dualism of the provision of and need for UES is of critical importance. Which UES are the focus of research, and what types of urban land use are examined? Are models or decision support systems used to assess the provision of UES? Are trade-offs considered? Do studies of UES engage stakeholders? To address these questions, we analyzed 217 papers derived from an ISI Web of Knowledge search using a set of standardized criteria. The results indicate that most UES studies have been undertaken in Europe, North America, and China, at city scale. Assessment methods involve bio-physical models, Geographical Information Systems, and valuation, but few study findings have been implemented as land use policy.
•Mosaic governance helps to analyse active citizenship in relation to UGI planning.•Active citizens can significantly contribute to urban green infrastructure.•Governmental involvement is critical ...for upscaling active citizenship.•NGOs can be important knowledge brokers and facilitators for active citizenship.
Compact urban development, social demands and austerity measures are increasing pressures on urban greenspace. Meanwhile, active citizens, defined as voluntary individuals or groups who self-organize to contribute to urban green space development, provide ecological and social benefits to urban societies. This has inspired local governments to seek collaborations with non-state actors, including active citizens. However, the diverging aims, place-specific focus, and varying expertise of active citizenship may inhibit its contribution to ecological connectivity and upscaling beyond the local scale.
In this paper, we investigate how “mosaic governance” has potential as a framework for understanding active citizenship, its potential for upscaling and its relationship to strategic UGI planning. Using the policy arrangements approach, we analyse the role of discourse, resources, actors and rules of the game in the upscaling of active citizenship. Based on eight empirical cases from seven European cities, we analyse the diversity of collaborations between local governments and active citizens in greenspace development.
The cases show how active citizens can significantly contribute to UGI planning and implementation, for example by developing large parks with volunteers or designing a network of green corridors. The cases reveal multiple ways citizens and local governments benefit from collaborations, as well as different pathways for upscaling innovative discourses and practices from local communities to formal policy or to other cities. To enable upscaling, UGI planning needs to combine long-term, more formalized and higher-scale strategic approaches with more incremental approaches that correspond with localized, fragmented and informal efforts of local communities. While collaborations between municipalities and active citizenship is not without its difficulties, the examples of upscaling in our cases demonstrate the transformative power active citizens may have towards a more green, just and democratic city.
Green infrastructure (GI) and ecosystem services (ES) are promoted as concepts that have potential to improve environmental planning in urban areas based on a more holistic understanding of the ...complex interrelations and dynamics of social–ecological systems. However, the scientific discourses around both concepts still lack application-oriented frameworks that consider such a holistic perspective and are suitable to mainstream GI and ES in planning practice. This literature review explores how multifunctionality as one important principle of GI planning can be operationalized by approaches developed and tested in ES research. Specifically, approaches developed in ES research can help to assess the integrity of GI networks, balance ES supply and demand, and consider trade-offs. A conceptual framework for the assessment of multifunctionality from a social–ecological perspective is proposed that can inform the design of planning processes and support stronger exchange between GI and ES research.
Understanding the dynamics of urban ecosystem services is a necessary requirement for adequate planning, management, and governance of urban green infrastructure. Through the three-year Urban ...Biodiversity and Ecosystem Services (URBES) research project, we conducted case study and comparative research on urban biodiversity and ecosystem services across seven cities in Europe and the United States. Reviewing > 50 peer-reviewed publications from the project, we present and discuss seven key insights that reflect cumulative findings from the project as well as the state-of-the-art knowledge in urban ecosystem services research. The insights from our review indicate that cross-sectoral, multiscale, interdisciplinary research is beginning to provide a solid scientific foundation for applying the ecosystem services framework in urban areas and land management. Our review offers a foundation for seeking novel, nature-based solutions to emerging urban challenges such as wicked environmental change issues.
•A lack of fine-scaled socio-perceptual information hinders integrated UGI planning.•PPGIS can generate this information, complementing ecological and statistical data.•We reveal multiple ways ...multifunctionality planning may be enhanced.•PPGIS can support city-wide, district and site-level UGI planning across scales.
Urban green infrastructure (UGI) planning is a new approach to planning that aims to develop multifunctional networks of green and blue spaces designed and managed to deliver a wide range of ecosystem services, and thereby, to improve quality-of-life in cities. However, moving current practice in urban green space planning towards the UGI planning approach will require higher quality information about a wider array of ecosystem services than currently measured and more spatially detailed social valuation methods. This paper explores the added value of public participation GIS (PPGIS), a relatively new type of survey for obtaining social values, as a tool for UGI planning. We do this by surveying real-life assessment tools for CES used in the case study city of Berlin and comparing the results of these with those of a PPGIS survey conducted in the city. The discussion centers on application of PPGIS results for UGI planning, focusing on their potential for enhancing multifunctionality at different spatial scales. At the site-level, the tool can help target conflict and less valued areas for redesign and management, as well as identifying particularly loved park features for protection. At the district- and city-level, we found potential for improving representativeness and accuracy of expert-based assessments, identifying coldspots and difficult-to-map functions, correcting deficits and increasing understanding of functional synergies. Outside of enhancing multifunctionality assessment, PPGIS may also support implementation of other defining principles of UGI planning, such as connectivity of green spaces, integrating urban green infrastructure with other infrastructure and ensuring collaborative, socially-inclusive planning processes.
Das Konzept der Ökosystemleistungen kann helfen, Umsetzungsdefizite der räumlichen Planung zu bewältigen und den Schutz und die nachhaltige Nutzung von Natur und Landschaft zu fördern. Die ...vielfältigen Erkenntnisse zur Anwendung in Deutschland wurden bisher jedoch noch nicht systematisch zusammengebracht und ausgewertet. Der vorliegende Beitrag stellt Thesen für einen Einsatz des Konzepts der Ökosystemleistungen in der räumlichen Planung und für eine nachhaltige Raumentwicklung vor. Die Thesen führen den Stand des Wissens zusammen und geben Empfehlungen für den Einsatz in der Praxis und für weitere Forschung. Sie sind in drei thematische Bereiche gegliedert: Thesen zum generellen Nutzen des Konzepts, zu Hemmnissen und Potenzialen des Einsatzes wie der Anbindung an Planungsinstrumente sowie Thesen zu Handlungsbedarfen in Forschung und Planung. Sie sollen Wissenschaft und Praxis motivieren, das Konzept der Ökosystemleistungen in relevanten Planungskontexten einzusetzen, es für besseren Schutz und die nachhaltige Entwicklung von Natur und Landschaft zu nutzen und somit Transformationsprozesse zu einer nachhaltigen Entwicklung zu unterstützen.
The concept of ecosystem services can help to overcome implementation deficits in spatial planning and to promote the protection and sustainable use of nature and landscape. However, diverse findings on the concept's application in Germany have not yet been brought together and evaluated. The aim of this paper is to present theses on the meaningful and effective use of ecosystem services in spatial planning and the promotion of sustainable spatial development. The theses are intended to summarize the state of knowledge and provide recommendations for use in practice and for further research. They are divided into three thematic areas: Theses on the benefits of the ecosystem services concept, on obstacles and potentials of its use and theses on needs for action. The theses are intended to motivate practitioners and scientists to apply the ecosystem services concept in appropriate planning contexts, to use it for better protection and development of nature and landscape, and to support transformation processes towards sustainable development.
The concept of ecosystem services (ES) holds promise as a framework for more integrated urban planning, but its application in planning practice, including related challenges, remains an area of ...investigation. This paper seeks to help fill this gap through a comparative case study exploring current and potential application of ES in the cities of New York and Berlin. We examine: (1) how the concept of ES has been adopted, taking into consideration ES addressed in strategic planning documents as well as perceptions of the concept by key stakeholders in planning and management of urban green space, and (2) needs and challenges identified by stakeholders for green space planning and management. A multi-method design is used, combining literature review, content analysis of strategic plans and semi-structured key informant interviews. Findings reveal a reasonably high level of awareness, understanding and perceived importance of the concept but a much lower degree of uptake at an operational level. We identified a number of challenges which ES can address, including inter-departmental and multi-scale coordination, educating and engaging citizens in environmental stewardship, communicating strategy goals for the environment and assessing impacts of planning decisions. We conclude with implications for ES research and policy in urban areas.
•We examine uptake and potential application of ES through a comparative case study.•A multi-method approach is used in the cities of Berlin and New York.•We found a fairly high level of awareness but a much lower degree of application.•Implications of findings for urban green space policy and research are provided.
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