Cultural Ecosystem Services in Urban Green Spaces

Dear Colleagues,

Cultural Ecosystem Services are the non-material benefits that people obtain from ecosystems, including recreational, aesthetic, spiritual, and educational values. These services are deeply intertwined with human cultures, traditions, and identities, playing a crucial role in shaping social values and behaviours, and providing inspiration, particularly in urban contexts. Cultural Ecosystem Services are more comprehensible and meaningful to people than many other services. They contribute significantly to the quality of urban life and to achieving sustainability. Many Cultural Ecosystem Services classifications have been elaborated so far. However, the lack of uniformity across these classification systems is noticeable, presenting a significant challenge for practitioners, urban planners, landscape architects, and managers of urban green spaces. Cultural Ecosystem Services are intangible and difficult to quantify, which makes them susceptible to undervaluation and neglect in decision-making processes. In a rapidly urbanizing world, greenery is an increasingly important source of Cultural Ecosystem Services. However, urban green spaces had been neglected in Cultural Ecosystem Services research, but have gained more attention in recent years. This Special Issue aims to fill this gap. We invite submissions of manuscripts presenting research results on the aspect of Cultural Ecosystem Services in green spaces within an urban context. This Special Issue aims to demonstrate the multidimensional nature of Cultural Ecosystem Services in urban green areas, their potential in shaping the cityscape, and their contribution to improving the quality of life in the city. Moreover, it seeks a novel approach to the assessment of Cultural Ecosystem Services in urban greenery. We welcome interdisciplinary research that combines insights from urban planning, architecture, landscape architecture, engineering, environmental science, social sciences, and other relevant fields. Topics of interest for this Special Issue include, but are not limited to:

• Cultural Ecosystem Services benefits and green care. What is the role of Cultural Ecosystem Services of urban greenery in the promotion of human health and general well-being?
• Cultural Ecosystem Services in the decision-making process. How might Cultural Ecosystem Services be practically incorporated into land use management and spatial planning frameworks? What are the guidelines for designing multifaceted greenery? What is the practical advice in the aspect of designing green areas with Cultural Ecosystem Services potential? How to reduce inequality and discrimination in the use and access of urban greenery, and include marginalized groups in the provision of the Cultural Ecosystem Services decision-making process?
• Cultural Ecosystem Services quality and urban greenery typology. Do different types of urban green spaces provide various Cultural Ecosystem Services? Are there differences between formal and informal greenery or private and public greenery in providing Cultural Ecosystem Services? What is the potential of parks, gardens, forests, and cemeteries in providing Cultural Ecosystem Services? Does the status of a park, garden, or cemetery as a historical monument translate into a different repertoire for Cultural Ecosystem Services?
• Cultural Ecosystem Services, social accessibility, and social perception. How are different types of urban greenery perceived and utilized by citizens? Is the ecosystem services programme evolving in different types of green spaces? Does belonging to a social group influence the perception of greenery? Do Cultural Ecosystem Services provided in small, medium, and large cities differ in their characteristics? Which green areas have high cultural importance?
• Cultural Ecosystem Services and cultural context. Are there any cultural differences in the provision of CES by urban green spaces?
• CES and conceptualization. Can the Cultural Ecosystem Services framework fully capture the importance of urban green spaces? What factors influence the valuation of CES? Can Cultural Ecosystem Services be replicated or generalized?

We look forward to receiving your original research articles and reviews.

Dr. Mariusz Antolak
Prof. Dr. Agnieszka Dawidowicz
Dr. Anna Długozima
Dr. István Valánszki
Guest Editors

Manuscript Submission Information

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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.

• evaluation and indicators of cultural ecosystem services
• potential of historic green spaces
• green care, health and well-being
• paradigms of urban greenery design
• green infrastructure
• socially vulnerable groups
• social cohesion
• green spaces as cultural arenas
• environmental justice
• approaches to greenery design
• benefits of urban green spaces