69
Finally, Chap. 6 focused on an emerging issue in the urban ES science with relevant implications for urban planning, i.e. the analysis of equity in the distribution
of ES and related benefits across the city. While this is still an innovative field where
the ES concept is being applied, some key requirements for ES assessments to
address the equitable distribution of ES in cities can be already identified.
Specifically, access emerges as a fundamental aspect that shapes the flow of ES by
determining the matching between supply and demand. To capture the real distribution of ES across areas and population groups, ES assessments should take into
account the barriers, including both physical and institutional barriers, that may
limit the access to ES. A spatially-explicit ES assessment that considers how ES
flow from providing areas (characterised in terms of their specific ES potential), to
benefitting areas (characterised by a certain level of demand and accessibility) is
therefore essential to support urban planning in pursuing equity in the distribution
of ES in cities.
7.2 Challenges for Future Research and Practice
Despite the explicit link with decision-making being among its distinctive traits
since its origin (Daily et al. 2009), the integration between ES science and planning
practices is still limited, especially at the urban scale. In this context, the ‘salience’
or ‘relevance’ of ES knowledge, a key attribute to measure its capacity to inform
decision-making (Cash et al. 2003), corresponds to the extent to which it responds
to knowledge needs that are not yet answered by the set of concepts, approaches,
and methods already adopted in current urban planning practices. Understanding
the specific needs and requirements that urban planning poses to ES knowledge is
therefore fundamental for ES research. To this aim, the reviews of planning documents presented in Chaps. 2 and 3 revealed some shortcomings in how are ES
addressed and suggest some entry points where ES knowledge could be profitably
integrated.
First, a need for enhancing the knowledge base on ES clearly emerged. This can
be partly ascribed to gaps in ES research: an appropriate knowledge base is fundamental to design effective actions, but requires adequate methods that, in some
cases, are still not available. The set of ES less frequently mentioned in urban plans
are also the least popular in the ES literature, which may indicate that the respective
functions are well known from the ecological point of view, but still not acknowledged for their contribution to human wellbeing. Moreover, methods to assess many
urban ES require further efforts to be tailored to urban planning needs, in two
respects. On the one hand, urban contexts, characterized by heterogeneity and fragmentation of green infrastructure components, define specific requirements for biophysical methods in terms of accuracy and resolution, which limits the transferability
of methods developed at different spatial scales. On the other hand, the integration
in planning processes determines data and resource constraints (e.g., in terms of
time, costs, and expertise). Methods able to capture the specificity of urban
7.2 Challenges for Future Research and Practice
Finally, Chap. 6 focused on an emerging issue in the urban ES science with relevant implications for urban planning, i.e. the analysis of equity in the distribution
of ES and related benefits across the city. While this is still an innovative field where
the ES concept is being applied, some key requirements for ES assessments to
address the equitable distribution of ES in cities can be already identified.
Specifically, access emerges as a fundamental aspect that shapes the flow of ES by
determining the matching between supply and demand. To capture the real distribution of ES across areas and population groups, ES assessments should take into
account the barriers, including both physical and institutional barriers, that may
limit the access to ES. A spatially-explicit ES assessment that considers how ES
flow from providing areas (characterised in terms of their specific ES potential), to
benefitting areas (characterised by a certain level of demand and accessibility) is
therefore essential to support urban planning in pursuing equity in the distribution
of ES in cities.
7.2 Challenges for Future Research and Practice
Despite the explicit link with decision-making being among its distinctive traits
since its origin (Daily et al. 2009), the integration between ES science and planning
practices is still limited, especially at the urban scale. In this context, the ‘salience’
or ‘relevance’ of ES knowledge, a key attribute to measure its capacity to inform
decision-making (Cash et al. 2003), corresponds to the extent to which it responds
to knowledge needs that are not yet answered by the set of concepts, approaches,
and methods already adopted in current urban planning practices. Understanding
the specific needs and requirements that urban planning poses to ES knowledge is
therefore fundamental for ES research. To this aim, the reviews of planning documents presented in Chaps. 2 and 3 revealed some shortcomings in how are ES
addressed and suggest some entry points where ES knowledge could be profitably
integrated.
First, a need for enhancing the knowledge base on ES clearly emerged. This can
be partly ascribed to gaps in ES research: an appropriate knowledge base is fundamental to design effective actions, but requires adequate methods that, in some
cases, are still not available. The set of ES less frequently mentioned in urban plans
are also the least popular in the ES literature, which may indicate that the respective
functions are well known from the ecological point of view, but still not acknowledged for their contribution to human wellbeing. Moreover, methods to assess many
urban ES require further efforts to be tailored to urban planning needs, in two
respects. On the one hand, urban contexts, characterized by heterogeneity and fragmentation of green infrastructure components, define specific requirements for biophysical methods in terms of accuracy and resolution, which limits the transferability
of methods developed at different spatial scales. On the other hand, the integration
in planning processes determines data and resource constraints (e.g., in terms of
time, costs, and expertise). Methods able to capture the specificity of urban
7.2 Challenges for Future Research and Practice