TY - JOUR

T1 - A comparative exploration of uptake and potential application of ecosystem services in urban planning

AU - Rall, Emily Lorance

AU - Kabisch, Nadja

AU - Hansen, Rieke

N1 - Funding information: We would like to thank all the stakeholders interviewed for their time and willingness to take part in our study, as well as Timon McPhearson for his assistance in the New York plan analysis. This research was funded by the EU FP7-ERA-Net project URBES (Urban Biodiversity and Ecosystem Services, 2012-2014) , which aims to fill scientific gaps on the relationship between biodiversity and ecosystem services for human well-being and to strengthen the capacity of European cities to adapt to climate change and other future challenges.

PY - 2015/12/1

Y1 - 2015/12/1

N2 - 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.

AB - 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.

KW - Berlin

KW - Ecosystem services

KW - Environmental policy

KW - New York City

KW - Urban governance

UR - http://www.scopus.com/inward/record.url?scp=84949009452&partnerID=8YFLogxK

U2 - 10.1016/j.ecoser.2015.10.005

DO - 10.1016/j.ecoser.2015.10.005

M3 - Article

AN - SCOPUS:84949009452

VL - 16

SP - 230

EP - 242

JO - Ecosystem Services

JF - Ecosystem Services

SN - 2212-0416

ER -