Ecosystem Services and Urban Planning: A Review of the Contribution of the Concept to Adaptation in Urban Areas

Abstract

The effects of climate change have a negative impact on urban areas and projections indicate these impacts will worsen in the coming years. In this context, cities need to adapt to the adverse effects of climate change. Potential solutions proposed in the literature for this adaptation include the use of Ecosystem Services. However, of the large volume of publications, few articles provide a structured analysis of the contribution and use of the concept in urban planning and adaptation to climate change. The objective of the present study was to review the literature on the subject and provide a structured analysis of the state of the art, main authors, countries, and references addressing the topic, together with key concepts emerging from this research, and challenges for future studies. Thus, a hybrid method of bibliometric analysis and in-depth reading of key articles held on the Web of Science electronic database was applied. The results revealed a growing scientific interest in the subject, a trend of greater interdisciplinarity in research, use of different evaluation methods, both economic and non-economic, and a systemic perspective that approaches sustainability not only as an environmental problem, but as a complex phenomenon.

Natural Protected Areas within Cities: An International Legislative Comparison Focused on Romania

“…Marques et al [23] concluded in their work, published in 2022, that urban planning needs to apply research/analysis methods related to urbanism, respectively, biophysical, socio-cultural, and economic methods, which can be combined and integrated to be able to analyze the urban-natural relationship and the benefits of ecosystem services from quantitative and qualitative points of view. More studies are needed to map the benefits of nature in order to be able to formulate appropriate solutions.…”

“…Post-industrial urban evolution: in Nordic countries, post-industrial urban transformation has been characterized by the regeneration of abandoned industrial areas into modern and sustainable housing and business areas. In contrast, in eastern European countries, post-industrial urban transformation has often been slowed down or blocked by a lack of resources and economic problems [23].…”