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Land
Special Issues
Urban Ecosystem Services and Climate Resilience: Trends and Challenges
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Urban Ecosystem Services and Climate Resilience: Trends and Challenges

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: closed (20 September 2024) | Viewed by 4868

Special Issue Editors

Prof. Dr. Andrzej Mizgajski

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Guest Editor
Department of Integrated Geography, Faculty of Human Geography and Planning, Adam Mickiewicz University Poznań, Ul. Bogumila Krygowskiego 10, 61-680 Poznań, Poland
Interests: environmental management; landscape research; ecosystem services; urban ecology
Special Issues, Collections and Topics in MDPI journals
Prof. Dr. Marek Degórski

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Guest Editor
Department of Geoecology, Institute of Geography and Spatial Organization, Polish Academy of Sciences, 00-818 Warsaw, Poland
Interests: human-nature relations; regional policy; urban ecosystem services
Dr. Martina Artmann

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Guest Editor
Leibniz Institute of Ecological Urban and Regional Development, 01217 Dresden, Germany
Interests: urban ecology; urban sustainability transformations; urban ecosystem services; urban green infrastructure; nature-based solution; urban human-nature connection; urban agriculture; edible cities; socio-ecological systems; urban deep ecology
Special Issues, Collections and Topics in MDPI journals
Dr. Alina C. Hossu

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Guest Editor
Faculty of Geography, Universitatea din Bucuresti, Bucharest, Romania
Interests: urban ecosystem services; environmental planning; human-nature relationships

Special Issue Information

Dear Colleagues,

Decision makers and planners are increasingly declaring their appreciation for the beneficial impact of green and blue infrastructure on the local climate in cities. At the same time, cities are an area of competition for space and pressure on land development intensified by the need to deal with complex social–ecological crises such as biodiversity loss, climate change and public health. For these reasons, it is essential to recognize the benefits urban ecosystems provide residents and that their well-being depends on healthy ecosystems. Current knowledge about urban ecosystem services and their potential for climate change mitigation remains incomplete. We encourage researchers to share their research results on the operationalization and dimensionality of this approach. The impetus for proposing this Special Issue is ECOSERV - 7th Symposium on Ecosystem Services in Transdisciplinary Approach (Poznań 14.- 16.09.2023).

We would like to collect papers (original research articles and review papers) that provide insights into various aspects of recognizing urban ecosystems as an essential adaptation factor of climate change. Among the important research questions relevant to climate alleviation, we see sets of ecosystem services in different urban areas depending on their size, climatic conditions, sociocultural circumstances and governance capacities. We appreciate works considering ecosystem services comprehensively as bundles characteristic of specific urban ecosystems and their land teleconnections. Inter- and transdisciplinary papers showing the practical applications of the ecosystem service approach and its pluralistic values, e.g., in spatial planning, environmental impact assessment and citizen science, will be very welcome.

This Special Issue will particularly focus on the following themes:

  • Urban ecosystem services for climate adaptation—potential, supply and demand;
  • Evidence regarding the impact of urban green/blue spaces on the local climate;
  • Exploration of the link between climate change mitigation/adaptation and human health;
  • Pluralistic perceptions of benefits for the local climate provided by urban ecosystems and associated instrumental, intrinsic and relational values;
  • Urban ecosystem management for climate adaptation and its interlinkages with biodiversity protection.

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

Prof. Dr. Andrzej Mizgajski
Prof. Dr. Marek Degórski
Dr. Martina Artmann
Dr. Alina C. Hossu
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

  • benefits from urban green/blue spaces
  • urban ecosystem management
  • climate adaptation and mitigation
  • urban human–nature relations
  • valuation of urban ecosystem services
  • governance
  • spatial planning

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Published Papers (4 papers)

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Research

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11 pages, 7348 KiB  
Article
A Proximity-Based Approach for the Identification of Fallen Species of Street Trees during Strong Wind Events in Lisbon
by Flávio Henrique Mendes, Felipe Coelho de Souza Petean, Ezequiel Luís Tavares Correia and António Manuel Saraiva Lopes
Land 2024, 13(5), 708; https://doi.org/10.3390/land13050708 - 17 May 2024
Viewed by 779
Abstract
The benefits of urban trees are very well known, but they can fall and cause damage, putting people’s lives at risk. There are few studies on the vulnerability of species to falling. In Lisbon (Portugal), fallen trees have been recorded since 1990 without, [...] Read more.
The benefits of urban trees are very well known, but they can fall and cause damage, putting people’s lives at risk. There are few studies on the vulnerability of species to falling. In Lisbon (Portugal), fallen trees have been recorded since 1990 without, however, the identification of the species, knowledge of which is fundamental for improving their management. This study aimed to identify the tree species most vulnerable to falling in Lisbon through a proximity-based approach of known species, since the city has 47,713 inventoried trees, of which only 26,595 (55.7%) were identified. Four criteria were designed to presume the species: (i) the tree must be within 15 m from the street median axis; (ii) at least three individuals within 30 m from the occurrence must belong to the same species; (iii) the surrounding species must be representative in the street (>50%); and (iv) visual identification of avenue medians. Through this approach, considering 3767 fallen trees, it was possible to identify 736 cases, representing 19.5% of all occurrences throughout the studied time and representing 43 different species. Species like Morus nigra L., Tipuana tipu (Benth.) Kuntze, Liriodendron tulipifera L., Prunus cerasifera Ehrh., and Koelreuteria paniculata Laxm. were most vulnerable. Additionally, in 57.7% of cases (425 fallen trees), the wind speed 12-h before the occurrence was greater than 7 m s−1. This research will provide important data for urban planners seeking to maximize the ecosystem services of urban trees. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Urban Ecosystem Services and Climate Resilience: Trends and Challenges)
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18 pages, 10938 KiB  
Article
Assessment and Monitoring of Local Climate Regulation in Cities by Green Infrastructure—A National Ecosystem Service Indicator for Germany
by Ralf-Uwe Syrbe, Sophie Meier, Michelle Moyzes, Claudia Dworczyk and Karsten Grunewald
Land 2024, 13(5), 689; https://doi.org/10.3390/land13050689 - 14 May 2024
Cited by 1 | Viewed by 1180
Abstract
In densely built-up urban areas, green spaces such as gardens, parks, forests and water bodies can greatly enhance the quality of life for local residents and promote human health. These areas mitigate heat stress and the urban heat island effect to create a [...] Read more.
In densely built-up urban areas, green spaces such as gardens, parks, forests and water bodies can greatly enhance the quality of life for local residents and promote human health. These areas mitigate heat stress and the urban heat island effect to create a balanced local climate. To quantify the ecosystem service of “urban climate regulation” provided by urban green infrastructure, we developed a national indicator for specific measurement and monitoring. This indicator captures both the supply of climate-regulating services by urban green spaces and the demand for this service from the residential population. Using nationwide geodata, a cooling capacity value can be calculated that reflects the tree canopy, soil cover, sizes of green area and site characteristics. This cooling capacity value is then related to the affected residential population in the neighbourhood. Our analysis indicates that 76% of the population in the 165 case cities in Germany enjoy high or very high cooling capacities in their immediate living environment. In 37 cities, over 85% of the population benefits from good or very good cooling capacity provided by green space. The proposed indicator enables a comparison of the cooling service of urban green infrastructure and offers a sound basis for spatial planning and decision-making in urban areas. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Urban Ecosystem Services and Climate Resilience: Trends and Challenges)
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17 pages, 2366 KiB  
Article
Perspective Swap from Central Europe to East Asia: How Relevant Is Urban Environmental Acupuncture in Small-Scale Green Space Development in the Context of the Republic of Korea?
by Jiyoon Song, Jessica Hemingway and Chang Sug Park
Land 2024, 13(3), 298; https://doi.org/10.3390/land13030298 - 27 Feb 2024
Cited by 1 | Viewed by 1160
Abstract
A lack of green space, driven by intense urbanization, has resulted in adverse effects on human life and ecosystems. These adverse effects include, but are not limited to, urban heat islands, disruption to ecological networks, and fragmentation of human and animal habitats. Despite [...] Read more.
A lack of green space, driven by intense urbanization, has resulted in adverse effects on human life and ecosystems. These adverse effects include, but are not limited to, urban heat islands, disruption to ecological networks, and fragmentation of human and animal habitats. Despite the critical need to improve climate resilience through green infrastructure expansion, not enough is being done to improve conditions globally. This study investigates the Urban Environmental Acupuncture (UEA) concept, exploring its potential application in Korea to implement green infrastructure in dense urban areas. Korea was selected as a case study due to its high population density and the urgent long-term need to safeguard urban green spaces. Semi-structured interviews with experts working in park and green space policy among Korean local governments were conducted. The interviews were analyzed using content analysis based on research questions. The results point to challenges in applying the UEA concept related to Korea’s urban green space policies, including land acquisition difficulties, insufficient information and research, and difficulties in continuous management with micro green spaces. Moreover, we provide strategies to overcome the challenges of UEA implementation within Korea. The findings and proposed strategies offer insight to those facing similar conditions such as high population density and limited delegated land for green space expansion. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Urban Ecosystem Services and Climate Resilience: Trends and Challenges)
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Review

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18 pages, 5937 KiB  
Review
Ecologically Regenerative Building Systems through Exergy Efficiency: Designing for Structural Order and Ecosystem Services
by Katharina Hecht, Abraham Ortega Reboso, Michelle van der Vegt, Jaco Appelman and Maibritt Pedersen Zari
Land 2024, 13(9), 1375; https://doi.org/10.3390/land13091375 - 28 Aug 2024
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Abstract
Regenerative design is being increasingly explored in urban environments to counteract and adapt to the changing climate and degradation of ecosystems. A critical success factor for the implementation of regenerative design is the evaluation of urban and building systems in relation to ecological [...] Read more.
Regenerative design is being increasingly explored in urban environments to counteract and adapt to the changing climate and degradation of ecosystems. A critical success factor for the implementation of regenerative design is the evaluation of urban and building systems in relation to ecological performance and benefits. In biological ecosystems, the availability of high-quality energy, called exergy, and structural order can be used as indicators of the efficiency of on-going ecological processes. Structural order refers to the organization and systematic arrangements of biotic and abiotic elements within an ecosystem based on the available space and interactions with the goal to form a functional system. Ecological processes use the available exergy and generate ecosystem services (ESs) upon which human survival and that of other living organisms depend. In this article, structural order and ESs generation are proposed as indicators for exergy efficiency and accumulation in building systems, respectively, which can evaluate to what extent they are ecologically functional and regenerative. Based on this insight, design strategies are derived from the functioning of ecosystems that describe how buildings could become habitats that host living, non-living, and hybrid systems with optimized thermodynamic efficiency and that can generate ESs. This research suggests that when buildings improve structural order (an ecological concept) and implement ESs generating processes similar to biological ecosystems, they can facilitate regenerative processes more effectively that consume and generate resources and, with this, destroy but also accumulate exergy. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Urban Ecosystem Services and Climate Resilience: Trends and Challenges)
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