71
the environmental conditions of the city, or the accessibility to certain areas. While
the multifunctionality of urban green infrastructure generates potential synergies,
which are indicated as one of the main strengths of ecosystem-based actions, looking at the whole range of ES affected by planning actions may reveal trade-offs,
hence unexpected and undesired outcomes of planning decisions.
A final challenge is related to the development and application of appropriate
methods for assessing equity in the distribution of ES. Inequality and exclusion are
rising in most cities in the world and indicators focused on the average wellbeing,
overlooking its distribution, may hide an increasing divide between different population groups, thus leading to wrong conclusions about the impacts of policies and
decisions. Methods for mapping ES, which describe how ES supply and demand, as
well as related benefits and values, vary across space, are a good starting point to
assess distributional equity, possibly accounting for relevant contextual factors.
However, as discussed in Chap. 6, some criteria must be fulfilled to ensure that a
spatial assessment of ES provides useful information to pursue an equitably distributed wellbeing and further advancements are still needed on this issue.
7.3 Concluding Remarks
This book moved from the belief that the ES approach, grounded on the growing ES
science, can be a valuable support to improve decision-making towards planning
more sustainable, liveable, and resilient cities. From this perspective, ES science is
seen as a provider of credible and relevant knowledge that can complement the set
of information – a combination of both scientific and traditional/local knowledge –
on which planning decisions are usually based, thus promoting a stronger incorporation of ecological concerns into decision-making processes that mainly pursue
socio-economic goals. Operationally, ES science offers to urban planners a wide
range of methods and tools that can be used to analyse the current condition and to
assess the expected impacts of planning decisions. In this context, particularly relevant are spatially-explicit methods that allow mapping the distribution of ES and
related benefits across the city.
As suggested by our exploration, the expected benefits of a further integration of
ES in urban planning are manifold. First, it supports the design of appropriate and
effective actions, being they targeted to promote climate change adaptation or to
enhance citizens’ health and wellbeing. Second, it increases the awareness of a
larger set of values that are at stake in planning processes, including values normally
underrepresented, thus highlighting co-benefits and trade-offs that may arise from
planning actions, and allowing for a more transparent and conscious prioritization.
Third, it promotes the explicit identification of ES demand and beneficiaries, thus
enhancing the consideration of equity issues and providing planners and decisionmakers with stronger arguments against conflicting interests on land-use decisions.
What emerges is an overall coherence between the ES approach and urban planning objectives that aim at enhancing human wellbeing in cities. Hence, the
7.3 Concluding Remarks
the environmental conditions of the city, or the accessibility to certain areas. While
the multifunctionality of urban green infrastructure generates potential synergies,
which are indicated as one of the main strengths of ecosystem-based actions, looking at the whole range of ES affected by planning actions may reveal trade-offs,
hence unexpected and undesired outcomes of planning decisions.
A final challenge is related to the development and application of appropriate
methods for assessing equity in the distribution of ES. Inequality and exclusion are
rising in most cities in the world and indicators focused on the average wellbeing,
overlooking its distribution, may hide an increasing divide between different population groups, thus leading to wrong conclusions about the impacts of policies and
decisions. Methods for mapping ES, which describe how ES supply and demand, as
well as related benefits and values, vary across space, are a good starting point to
assess distributional equity, possibly accounting for relevant contextual factors.
However, as discussed in Chap. 6, some criteria must be fulfilled to ensure that a
spatial assessment of ES provides useful information to pursue an equitably distributed wellbeing and further advancements are still needed on this issue.
7.3 Concluding Remarks
This book moved from the belief that the ES approach, grounded on the growing ES
science, can be a valuable support to improve decision-making towards planning
more sustainable, liveable, and resilient cities. From this perspective, ES science is
seen as a provider of credible and relevant knowledge that can complement the set
of information – a combination of both scientific and traditional/local knowledge –
on which planning decisions are usually based, thus promoting a stronger incorporation of ecological concerns into decision-making processes that mainly pursue
socio-economic goals. Operationally, ES science offers to urban planners a wide
range of methods and tools that can be used to analyse the current condition and to
assess the expected impacts of planning decisions. In this context, particularly relevant are spatially-explicit methods that allow mapping the distribution of ES and
related benefits across the city.
As suggested by our exploration, the expected benefits of a further integration of
ES in urban planning are manifold. First, it supports the design of appropriate and
effective actions, being they targeted to promote climate change adaptation or to
enhance citizens’ health and wellbeing. Second, it increases the awareness of a
larger set of values that are at stake in planning processes, including values normally
underrepresented, thus highlighting co-benefits and trade-offs that may arise from
planning actions, and allowing for a more transparent and conscious prioritization.
Third, it promotes the explicit identification of ES demand and beneficiaries, thus
enhancing the consideration of equity issues and providing planners and decisionmakers with stronger arguments against conflicting interests on land-use decisions.
What emerges is an overall coherence between the ES approach and urban planning objectives that aim at enhancing human wellbeing in cities. Hence, the
7.3 Concluding Remarks