What to do in, and what to expect from, urban green spaces - Indicator-based approach to assess cultural ecosystem services

Author(s)
Kerstin Krellenberg, Martina Artmann, Celina Stanley, Robert Hecht
Abstract

Literature on urban ecosystem services (UESS) is vast, particularly on cultural ecosystem services. However, due to a lack of knowledge on individual urban green spaces on the site level, further research on enhanced methods is needed to underpin existing assumptions about the reasons why people are visiting urban green spaces and what kinds of ecosystem services they can expect, with a focus on recreational activities. We argue for enhanced methods to assess supply of and demand on cultural UESS that should include the direct work with urban green space users. With the overall aim of developing a Spatial Decision Support System for visiting urban green spaces, we are applying a set of different quantitative methods to gather information on peoples’ needs and perceptions as well as data on what existing green spaces offer them. We present a two-step approach 1) linking green space criteria with recreational activities (demand-side) based on a linear series of three online surveys and 2) conducting a spatial mapping of urban green space criteria based on activity-driven indicators (supply-side). In the course of exemplified indicators operationalized by using open and local authorities′ geospatial data in an explorative study in Dresden and Heidelberg (Germany), we discuss the strengths and weaknesses of the approach.

Organisation(s)
Department of Geography and Regional Research
External organisation(s)
Leibniz-Institut für ökologische Raumentwicklung
Journal
Urban Forestry & Urban Greening
Volume
59
No. of pages
18
ISSN
1618-8667
DOI
https://doi.org/10.1016/j.ufug.2021.126986
Publication date
2021
Peer reviewed
Yes
Austrian Fields of Science 2012
507020 Urbanism
Keywords
ASJC Scopus subject areas
Forestry, Soil Science, Ecology
Sustainable Development Goals
SDG 11 - Sustainable Cities and Communities
Portal url
https://ucrisportal.univie.ac.at/en/publications/4a0c509b-6b1a-48af-a6c7-5bc6649500f2