From multifunctionality to multiple ecosystem services? A conceptual framework for multifunctionality in green...

Area of Science:

• Urban Planning
• Environmental Science
• Ecosystem Services Research

Background:

• Green infrastructure (GI) and ecosystem services (ES) concepts offer potential for improving urban environmental planning.
• Current scientific discourse lacks application-oriented, holistic frameworks for integrating GI and ES into planning practice.
• Multifunctionality is a key GI planning principle needing operationalization within ES research.

Purpose of the Study:

• To explore how multifunctionality in GI planning can be operationalized using approaches from ES research.
• To identify methods from ES research for assessing GI network integrity, balancing ES supply and demand, and managing trade-offs.
• To propose a conceptual framework for assessing multifunctionality from a social-ecological perspective to guide planning and research.

Main Methods:

• Literature review of GI planning and ES research.
• Analysis of ES research approaches for operationalizing GI multifunctionality.
• Development of a conceptual framework for social-ecological multifunctionality assessment.

Main Results:

• ES research provides methods to assess GI network integrity, balance ES supply and demand, and address trade-offs.
• Multifunctionality can be operationalized by integrating ES assessment tools into GI planning.
• A conceptual framework is proposed to link GI multifunctionality with social-ecological systems.

Conclusions:

• Integrating ES research approaches can operationalize GI multifunctionality for urban planning.
• The proposed framework can inform planning processes and foster interdisciplinary exchange.
• Holistic social-ecological perspectives are crucial for effective GI and ES integration in urban planning.