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Land
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Urban Ecosystem Services: 6th Edition
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Urban Ecosystem Services: 6th Edition

A special issue of Land (ISSN 2073-445X). This special issue belongs to the section "Urban Contexts and Urban-Rural Interactions".

Deadline for manuscript submissions: 31 May 2025 | Viewed by 1972

Special Issue Editors

Dr. Alessio Russo

E-Mail Website
Guest Editor
School of Architecture and Built Environment, Faculty of Engineering, Queensland University of Technology, Brisbane, QLD 4000, Australia
Interests: green Infrastructure; sustainable design; urban ecosystem services and disservices; outdoor thermal comfort and mitigation of the urban heat island effect
Special Issues, Collections and Topics in MDPI journals
Prof. Dr. Giuseppe T. Cirella

E-Mail Website
Guest Editor
Faculty of Economics, University of Gdansk, 81-824 Sopot, Poland
Interests: geography; sustainability; environmental management; urban studies; social impact; economic development; green infrastructure
Special Issues, Collections and Topics in MDPI journals

Special Issue Information

Dear Colleagues,

We are pleased to announce a Special Issue of Land titled "Urban Ecosystem Services: 6th Edition".

Urbanization, population growth, and climate change have negative impacts on ecosystem services (ES) in cities. Assessing and estimating the losses of ES due to rapid urban expansion plays a significant role in sustainable urban development [4]. However, studies on the effects of urbanization on ES have shown inconsistent and sometimes contradictory results [1–3].

Modern compact cities have been identified as having a high density and mixed-use pattern. Their features are believed to contribute to a form of functional urban design that supports sustainability and restresses the importance of ES. Urban green space plays a vital role in urban design and has an impact on how compact cities have developed; thus, a scientific debate on the amount of greenery that individuals require and to what extent contemporary approaches address this has been triggered. Given the meaningful influence of socio-ecological systems in cities, future cities should integrate them in their urban planning, management, and governance [3,5].

As a continuation of the last Special Issue on “Urban Ecosystem Services: 5th Edition”, this Special Issue will still seek to explore innovative approaches for enhancing urban sustainability and ES in the face of increasing urbanization concerns. Areas of interest include, but are not limited to, the following:

  • Assessing natural capital and ecosystem services;
  • Compact cities;
  • Ecology in cities;
  • Ecosystem services, ecosystem disservices, and well-being;
  • Ecosystem service degradation;
  • Edible green infrastructure;
  • Green infrastructure;
  • Green space;
  • Green walls;
  • Healing garden design;
  • Landscape architecture and urban design;
  • Mapping and assessing ecosystem services;
  • Modelling ecosystem services;
  • Nature-based solutions;
  • Social-ecological systems;
  • Sustainable urbanism;
  • Urban agriculture;
  • Urban biodiversity and ecosystem services;
  • Urban biosphere reserve;
  • Urban ecosystems;
  • Urban forest;
  • Urban geography and development;
  • Urban–rural interface;
  • Urban sustainability.

References

  1. Wang, J.; Zhou, W.; Pickett, S.T.A.; Yu, W.; Li, W. A multiscale analysis of urbanization effects on ecosystem services supply in an urban megaregion. Total Environ. 2019, 662, 824–833.
  2. Russo, A.; Cirella, G.T. Edible Green Infrastructure 4.0 for Food Security and Well-being: Campania Region, Italy. In International Guidelines on Urban and Territorial Planning. Compendium of Inspiring Practices: Health Edition; Quinlan, V., Ed.; UN Habitat, HS/080/18E: Nairobi, Kenya, 2018; p. 72.
  3. Russo, A.; Cirella, G.T. Modern Compact Cities: How Much Greenery Do We Need? J. Environ. Res. Public Health 2018, 15, 2180.
  4. Das, M.; Das, A. Dynamics of Urbanization and its impact on Urban Ecosystem Services (UESs): A study of a medium size town of West Bengal, Eastern India. Urban Manag. 2019, 1–15.
  5. Schewenius, M.; McPhearson, T.; Elmqvist, T. Opportunities for Increasing Resilience and Sustainability of Urban Social–Ecological Systems: Insights from the URBES and the Cities and Biodiversity Outlook Projects. Ambio 2014, 43, 434–444.

Dr. Alessio Russo
Prof. Dr. Giuseppe T. Cirella
Guest Editors

Manuscript Submission Information

Manuscripts should be submitted online at www.mdpi.com by registering and logging in to this website. Once you are registered, click here to go to the submission form. Manuscripts can be submitted until the deadline. All submissions that pass pre-check are peer-reviewed. Accepted papers will be published continuously in the journal (as soon as accepted) and will be listed together on the special issue website. Research articles, review articles as well as short communications are invited. For planned papers, a title and short abstract (about 100 words) can be sent to the Editorial Office for announcement on this website.

Submitted manuscripts should not have been published previously, nor be under consideration for publication elsewhere (except conference proceedings papers). All manuscripts are thoroughly refereed through a single-blind peer-review process. A guide for authors and other relevant information for submission of manuscripts is available on the Instructions for Authors page. Land is an international peer-reviewed open access monthly journal published by MDPI.

Please visit the Instructions for Authors page before submitting a manuscript. The Article Processing Charge (APC) for publication in this open access journal is 2600 CHF (Swiss Francs). Submitted papers should be well formatted and use good English. Authors may use MDPI's English editing service prior to publication or during author revisions.

Keywords

  • assessing natural capital and ecosystem services
  • compact cities
  • ecology in cities
  • ecosystem services, ecosystem disservices, and well-being
  • ecosystem service degradation
  • edible green infrastructure
  • green infrastructure
  • green space
  • green walls
  • healing garden design
  • landscape architecture and urban design
  • mapping and assessing ecosystem services
  • modelling ecosystem services
  • nature-based solutions
  • social-ecological systems
  • sustainable urbanism
  • urban agriculture
  • urban biodiversity and ecosystem services
  • urban biosphere reserve
  • urban ecosystems
  • urban forest
  • urban geography and development
  • urban–rural interface
  • urban sustainability

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Related Special Issue

Published Papers (4 papers)

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Research

18 pages, 3533 KiB  
Article
Analysis of Tree Falls Caused by Weather Events in Urban Areas: The Case Study of the City of Venice
by Matteo Buson and Lucia Bortolini
Land 2025, 14(6), 1131; https://doi.org/10.3390/land14061131 - 22 May 2025
Viewed by 197
Abstract
Urban green areas, while providing numerous benefits, can also produce negative impacts, often referred to as “ecosystem disservices”. While fallen fruits, leaves, and branches may pose tripping hazards, falling trees present a more significant threat to the safety of citizens and buildings. A [...] Read more.
Urban green areas, while providing numerous benefits, can also produce negative impacts, often referred to as “ecosystem disservices”. While fallen fruits, leaves, and branches may pose tripping hazards, falling trees present a more significant threat to the safety of citizens and buildings. A study was conducted to identify the factors that most influence tree falls, aiming to enhance monitoring and maintenance in high-risk areas and develop preventive felling plans. The analysis was carried out in the city of Venice (Italy) using data from 2019 to 2022. Key variables included daily rainfall and cumulative rainfall over the four days preceding tree falls, minimum temperature, average wind speed and direction, and maximum gust speed on the day of the event and two days prior, as well as detailed information on the affected trees from the municipal GreenSpaces application database (R3GIS). The distribution of fallen trees was assessed in relation to these parameters, and a spatial autocorrelation analysis was performed. The results revealed that tree falls were more frequent during the summer season, coinciding with more intense weather events, especially those characterized by gusts of strong wind (>15 m/s). Street trees and trees in groups, particularly those in parks and densely populated urban areas, were most affected. Tree falls during a single event often occurred in clusters within a radius of approximately 1.5 km. Species analysis indicated that maintaining a diverse mix of tree species could reduce the number of fallen trees, as different species exhibit varying levels of resistance to wind pressure and adaptability to urban conditions. Addressing these findings can help to create more sustainable and livable urban environments, maximizing the benefits of green spaces while mitigating their ecosystem disservices. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Urban Ecosystem Services: 6th Edition)
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23 pages, 5490 KiB  
Article
Supply–Demand Spatial Patterns of Cultural Services in Urban Green Spaces: A Case Study of Nanjing, China
by Qinghai Zhang, Ruijie Jiang, Xin Jiang, Yongjun Li, Xin Cong and Xing Xiong
Land 2025, 14(5), 1044; https://doi.org/10.3390/land14051044 - 11 May 2025
Viewed by 252
Abstract
Amid rapid urbanization, cities are becoming increasingly compact, leading to intensified land resource constraints and environmental pressures. As a result, urban parks and green spaces have emerged as critical areas for providing cultural ecosystem services (CESs). However, the spatial distribution of CES supply [...] Read more.
Amid rapid urbanization, cities are becoming increasingly compact, leading to intensified land resource constraints and environmental pressures. As a result, urban parks and green spaces have emerged as critical areas for providing cultural ecosystem services (CESs). However, the spatial distribution of CES supply and demand within urban green spaces remains significantly unbalanced, necessitating precise identification and quantification of CES supply–demand patterns to enhance ecosystem service efficiency. This study uses Nanjing, China, as a case study to develop an indicator framework for urban green space CES supply and demand, leveraging multi-source data. By employing spatial autocorrelation analysis (Bivariate Moran’s I) and a coupling coordination model, this research systematically assesses the spatial patterns of CESs in urban parks and green spaces. The results indicate that the overall CES supply–demand coordination in Nanjing exhibits a “high in the city center, low at the edges, and mismatched in the suburbs” pattern. Specifically, while 9.71% of the areas demonstrate well-matched CES supply and demand, 4.14% of the areas experience insufficient CES demand, and 3.66% face CES supply shortages, primarily in the urban outskirts, leading to a mismatch in green space distribution. This study further reveals the spatial heterogeneity of CES supply–demand matching across different urban districts. Based on these findings, this research proposes optimization strategies to improve CES allocation, providing a scientific basis for urban green space ecosystem service management and promoting the sustainable development of cities. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Urban Ecosystem Services: 6th Edition)
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26 pages, 16784 KiB  
Article
Investigating the Effect of Blue–Green Infrastructure on Thermal Condition—Case Study: Elazığ, Turkey
by Sevgi Yilmaz, Yaşar Menteş and Elmira Jamei
Land 2025, 14(4), 891; https://doi.org/10.3390/land14040891 - 17 Apr 2025
Viewed by 370
Abstract
This study examines the thermal impacts of green and blue infrastructure in Hilalkent Neighborhood, Elazığ City, in Turkey, using ENVI-met 5.6.1 software. Six design scenarios were proposed and their impact on air temperature, relative humidity, mean radiant temperature (Tmrt), physiological equivalent temperature (PET), [...] Read more.
This study examines the thermal impacts of green and blue infrastructure in Hilalkent Neighborhood, Elazığ City, in Turkey, using ENVI-met 5.6.1 software. Six design scenarios were proposed and their impact on air temperature, relative humidity, mean radiant temperature (Tmrt), physiological equivalent temperature (PET), and wind speed during August and January was analyzed. The simulation results were verified via field measurements using the Lutron AM-4247SD Weather Forecast Station at a height of 2.0 m above the ground. Data were collected in August 2023 and January 2024. The findings of this study indicate that existing vegetation in the study area provides a cooling effect of 0.8 °C during August. The addition of 10% grass coverage further reduced air temperature by 0.3 °C, while a 20% increase in tree density led to a 0.6 °C temperature reduction. The inclusion of a 10% water surface resulted in a 0.4 °C decrease in air temperature, and the implementation of extensive roof gardens contributed to an additional 0.2 °C reduction during the August period. The combined implementation of blue–green infrastructure in the study area achieved a total cooling effect of 1.5 °C during August. During January, the proposed scenarios led to a reduction in average temperatures by 0.1 °C to 0.4 °C compared to the base scenario, which may not be favorable for thermal comfort in colder conditions. Relative humidity values decreased during the August and Tmrt values were directly proportional to air temperature changes in both August and January. The results of this study provide valuable insights for urban planners and policymakers, demonstrating the effectiveness of blue–green infrastructure in mitigating the urban heat island (UHI) effect. These findings highlight the importance of integrating climate-responsive design strategies into urban planning to enhance thermal comfort and environmental sustainability in cities. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Urban Ecosystem Services: 6th Edition)
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26 pages, 2420 KiB  
Article
Runoff and Evapotranspiration–Precipitation Ratios as Indicators of Water Regulation Ecosystem Services in Urban Forests
by Urša Vilhar
Land 2025, 14(4), 809; https://doi.org/10.3390/land14040809 - 9 Apr 2025
Viewed by 478
Abstract
As a form of green infrastructure, urban forests play a key role in the provision of hydrological ecosystem services (ESs) in cities. Understanding how urban forest structure and soil properties influence water regulation ESs is crucial for managing and planning green infrastructure in [...] Read more.
As a form of green infrastructure, urban forests play a key role in the provision of hydrological ecosystem services (ESs) in cities. Understanding how urban forest structure and soil properties influence water regulation ESs is crucial for managing and planning green infrastructure in cities. We analysed two indicators—the runoff to precipitation (Q/P) and the evapotranspiration to precipitation (ETP/P) ratios—for five different urban forests. We used the hydrological model Brook90 over 16 years to simulate runoff, evapotranspiration, canopy interception, transpiration and soil evaporation. The results showed that mixed forests have the highest water retention capacity, with the lowest Q/P (0.41) and the highest ETP/P (0.59). In contrast, riparian deciduous forests had the lowest water retention capacity, with the highest Q/P (0.75) and the lowest ETP/P (0.25). Both indicators showed similar annual and seasonal results. However, Q/P showed strong inter-annual variation and a strong correlation with precipitation, while ETP/P remained consistent despite precipitation fluctuations in the observed years. In conclusion, the ETP/P ratio is better suited to assess the water regulation ES of urban forests. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Urban Ecosystem Services: 6th Edition)
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