Abstract
Stormwater green infrastructure (GI) has the potential to provide ecosystem services (ES) that are currently lacking in many urban environments. Nevertheless, while stormwater GI presents a major opportunity for cities to enhance urban ES, there is insufficient evidence to link the complex social and ecological benefits of ES to different GI types for holistic urban planning. This study used an expert opinion methodology to identify linkages between 22 ES and 14 GI types within a New York City context. An analysis of results from five interdisciplinary workshops engaging 46 academic experts reveals that expert judgement of ES benefits is highest for larger green spaces, which are not universally considered for stormwater management, and lowest for vacant land and non-vegetated GI types. Overall, cultural services were identified as those most universally provided by GI. The results of this study highlight potential significant variations in ES benefits between different GI types, and indicate the importance of considering cultural services in future GI research and planning efforts. In the current absence of robust quantitive measurements linking ES and stormwater GI, increased qualitative insight could be obtained by expanding the methodology used in this work to include non-academic experts and other urban stakeholders. We therefore offer recommendations and learnings based on our experience with the approach.
This is a preview of subscription content, log in via an institution to check access.
Similar content being viewed by others
References
Ahern, J., S. Cilliers, and J. Niemelä. 2014. The concept of ecosystem services in adaptive urban planning and design: A framework for supporting innovation. Landscape and Urban Planning 125: 254–259.
Andersson, E., S. Barthel, S. Borgström, J. Colding, T. Elmqvist, C. Folke, and Å. Gren. 2014. Reconnecting cities to the biosphere: Stewardship of green infrastructure and urban ecosystem services. Ambio 43: 445–453. https://doi.org/10.1007/s13280-014-0506-y.
Andersson, E., M. Tengö, T. McPhearson, and P. Kremer. 2015. Cultural ecosystem services as a gateway for improving urban sustainability. Ecosystem Services 12: 165–168. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.ecoser.2014.08.002.
Benedict, M.A., and E.T. McMahon. 2002. Green infrastructure: Smart conservation for the 21st century. Renewable Resources Journal 20: 12–19. https://doi.org/10.4135/9781412973816.n70.
Bertram, C., and K. Rehdanz. 2015. Preferences for cultural urban ecosystem services: Comparing attitudes, perception, and use. Ecosystem Services 12: 187–199. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.ecoser.2014.12.011.
Bolund, P., and S. Hunhammar. 1999. Ecosystem services in urban areas. Ecological Economics 29: 293–301.
Brauman, K., G. Daily, T. Duarte, and H. Mooney. 2007. The nature and value of ecosystem services: An overview highlighting hydrologic services. Annual Review of Environment and Resources 32: 67. https://doi.org/10.1146/annurev.energy.32.031306.102758.
Burkhard, B., F. Kroll, F. Müller, and W. Windhorst. 2009. Landscapes’ capacities to provide ecosystem services—A concept for land-cover based assessments. Landscape Online 15: 1–22. https://doi.org/10.3097/LO.200915.
Campagne, C.S., P. Roche, F. Gosselin, L. Tschanz, and T. Tatoni. 2017. Expert-based ecosystem services capacity matrices: Dealing with scoring variability. Ecological Indicators 79: 63–72. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.ecolind.2017.03.043.
Chang, J., Z. Qu, R. Xu, K. Pan, B. Xu, Y. Min, Y. Ren, G. Yang, et al. 2017. Assessing the ecosystem services provided by urban green spaces along urban center-edge gradients. Scientific Reports 7: 11226. https://doi.org/10.1038/s41598-017-11559-5.
Chon, J., and C.S. Shafer. 2009. Aesthetic responses to urban greenway trail environments. Landscape Research 34: 83–104. https://doi.org/10.1080/01426390802591429.
City of Chicago. 2014. 2014 budget overview. Chicago, IL: City of Chicago.
Connolly, J.J.T., E.S. Svendsen, D.R. Fisher, and L.K. Campbell. 2014. Networked governance and the management of ecosystem services: The case of urban environmental stewardship in New York City. Ecosystem Services 10: 187–194. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.ecoser.2014.08.005.
CRED. 2017. Center for Research on Environmental Decisions. https://www.cred.columbia.edu.
Crossman, N.D., B. Burkhard, S. Nedkov, L. Willemen, K. Petz, I. Palomo, E.G. Drakou, B. Martin-Lopez, et al. 2013. A blueprint for mapping and modelling ecosystem services. Ecosystem Services 4: 4–14. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.ecoser.2013.02.001.
Daily, G.C., S. Polasky, J. Goldstein, P.M. Kareiva, H.A. Mooney, L. Pejchar, T.H. Ricketts, J. Salzman, et al. 2009. Ecosystem services in decision making: Time to deliver. Frontiers in Ecology and the Environment 7: 21–28. https://doi.org/10.1890/080025.
Daniel, T.C., A. Muhar, A. Arnberger, O. Aznar, J.W. Boyd, K.M.A. Chan, R. Costanza, T. Elmqvist, et al. 2012. Contributions of cultural services to the ecosystem services agenda. PNAS 109: 8812–8819. https://doi.org/10.1073/pnas.1114773109.
Dickinson, D.C., and R.J. Hobbs. 2017. Cultural ecosystem services: Characteristics, challenges and lessons for urban green space research. Ecosystem Services. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.ecoser.2017.04.014.
Dobbs, C., F.J. Escobedo, and W.C. Zipperer. 2011. A framework for developing urban forest ecosystem services and goods indicators. Landscape and Urban Planning 99: 196–206.
Florida Greenways Commission. 1994. Creating a statewide Greenways system, for people… for wildlife… for Florida. Tallahassee: Florida Greenways Commission.
Getter, K.L., D.B. Rowe, G.P. Robertson, B.M. Cregg, and J.A. Andresen. 2009. Carbon sequestration potential of extensive green roofs. Environmental Science and Technology 43: 7564–7570. https://doi.org/10.1021/es901539x.
Gómez-Baggethun, E., and M. Ruiz-Pérez. 2011. Economic valuation and the commodification of ecosystem services. Progress in Physical Geography 35: 613–628. https://doi.org/10.1177/0309133311421708.
Gómez-Baggethun, E., and D.N. Barton. 2013. Classifying and valuing ecosystem services for urban planning. Ecological Economics 86: 235–245. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.ecolecon.2012.08.019.
Haase, D., N. Larondelle, E. Andersson, M. Artmann, S. Borgström, J. Breuste, E. Gomez-Baggethun, Å. Gren, et al. 2014. A quantitative review of urban ecosystem service assessments: Concepts, models, and implementation. Ambio 43: 413–433. https://doi.org/10.1007/s13280-014-0504-0.
Haines-Young, R. and M. Potschin. 2013. Common International Classification of Ecosystem Services (CICES). EEA Framework Contract No: EEA/IEA/09/003.
Hansen, R., and S. Pauleit. 2014. From multifunctionality to multiple ecosystem services? A conceptual framework for multifunctionality in green infrastructure planning for urban areas. Ambio 43: 516–529. https://doi.org/10.1007/s13280-014-0510-2.
Hathout, M., M. Vuillet, L. Peyras, C. Carvajal, and Y. Diab. 2016. Uncertainty and expert assessment for supporting evaluation of levees safety. European Conference on Flood Risk Management 7: 10. https://doi.org/10.1051/e3sconf/20160703019.
Hoornbeek, J., and T. Schwarz. 2009. Sustainable infrastructure in shrinking cities: Options for the future. Progress in Planning 72: 223–232.
Jacobs, S., H. Keune, D. Vrebos, O. Beauchard, F. Villa, and P. Meire. 2013. Ecosystem service assessments: Science or pragmatism? In Ecosystem services, ed. S. Jacobs, N. Dendoncker, and H. Keune, 157–165. Boston: Elsevier.
Jacobs, S., B. Burkhard, T. Van Daele, J. Staes, and A. Schneiders. 2015. “The Matrix Reloaded”: A review of expert knowledge use for mapping ecosystem services. Ecological Modelling 295: 21–30. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.ecolmodel.2014.08.024.
Jayasooriya, V.M., and A.W.M. Ng. 2014. Tools for modeling of stormwater management and economics of green infrastructure practices: A review. Water, Air, and Soil pollution. https://doi.org/10.1007/s11270-014-2055-1.
Jin, S., J. Guo, S. Wheeler, L. Kan, and S. Che. 2014. Evaluation of impacts of trees on PM2.5 dispersion in urban streets. Atmospheric Environment 99: 277–287. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.atmosenv.2014.10.002.
Kaiser, G., B. Burkhard, H. Römer, S. Sangkaew, R. Graterol, T. Haitook, H. Sterr, and D. Sakuna-Schwartz. 2013. Mapping tsunami impacts on land cover and related ecosystem service supply in Phang Nga, Thailand. Natural Hazards and Earth System Sciences 13: 3095–3111. https://doi.org/10.5194/nhess-13-3095-2013.
Kenter, J.O., L. O’Brien, N. Hockley, N. Ravenscroft, I. Fazey, K.N. Irvine, M.S. Reed, M. Christie, et al. 2015. What are shared and social values of ecosystems? Ecological Economics 111: 86–99. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.ecolecon.2015.01.006.
Kerr, R.A. 1996. Risk assessment—A new way to ask the experts: Rating radioactive waste risks. Science 274: 913–914.
Kopperoinen, L., P. Itkonen, and J. Niemelä. 2014. Using expert knowledge in combining green infrastructure and ecosystem services in land use planning: An insight into a new place-based methodology. Landscape Ecology 29: 1361–1375. https://doi.org/10.1007/s10980-014-0014-2.
McPhearson, T., P. Kremer, and Z.A. Hamstead. 2013. Mapping ecosystem services in New York City: Applying a social-ecological approach in urban vacant land. Ecosystem Services 5: 11–26. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.ecoser.2013.06.005.
McPherson, G.E., J.R. Simpson, Q. Xiao, and C. Wu. 2011. Million trees Los Angeles canopy cover and benefit assessment. Landscape and Urban Planning 99: 40–50.
Meerow, S., and J.P. Newell. 2017. Spatial planning for multifunctional green infrastructure: Growing resilience in Detroit. Landscape and Urban Planning 159: 62–75. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.landurbplan.2016.10.005.
Millennium Ecosystem Assessment. 2005. Ecosystems and human well-being: Synthesis, vol. 5. Washington, DC: Island Press.
Müller, F., R. de Groot, and L. Willemen. 2010. Ecosystem services at the landscape scale: The need for integrative approaches. Landscape Online 23: 1–11. https://doi.org/10.3097/LO.201023.
Nassauer, J.I. 2011. Care and stewardship: From home to planet. Landscape and Urban Planning 100: 321–323.
NEORSD (Northeast Ohio Regional Sewer District). 2012. Green infrastructure plan. Cleveland: NEORSD.
Newell, J.P., M. Seymour, T. Yee, J. Renteria, T. Longcore, J.R. Wolch, and A. Shishkovsky. 2013. Green alley programs: Planning for a sustainable urban infrastructure? Cities 31: 144–155. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.cities.2012.07.004.
Norton, B.A., A.M. Coutts, S.J. Livesley, R.J. Harris, A.M. Hunter, and N.S.G. Williams. 2015. Planning for cooler cities: A framework to prioritise green infrastructure to mitigate high temperatures in urban landscapes. Landscape and Urban Planning 134: 127–138.
NYC Mayor’s Office. 2010. NYC Green Insfrastructure Plan: A sustainable strategy for clean waterways. New York: NYC Mayor’s Office. http://www.nyc.gov/html/dep/pdf/green_infrastructure/NYCGreenInfrastructurePlan_LowRes.pdf.
Orlove, B. 2016. Columbia School of International and Public Affairs. https://sipa.columbia.edu/faculty-research/faculty-directory/ben-orlove.
Philadelphia Water Department. 2011. Green City Clean Waters. Philadelphia, PA: Philadelphia Water Department.
Pugh, T.A.M., A.R. Mackenzie, J.D. Whyatt, and C.N. Hewitt. 2012. Effectiveness of green infrastructure for improvement of air quality in urban street canyons. Environmental Science and Technology 46: 7692–7699. https://doi.org/10.1021/es300826w.
Riechers, M., J. Barkmann, and T. Tscharntke. 2016. Perceptions of cultural ecosystem services from urban green. Ecosystem Services 17: 33–39. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.ecoser.2015.11.007.
Riveiro, M. 2016. Visually supported reasoning under uncertain conditions: Effects of domain expertise on air traffic risk assessment. Spatial Cognition & Computation 16: 133–153. https://doi.org/10.1080/13875868.2015.1137576.
Robert, B. 2004. A method for the study of cascading effects within lifeline networks. International Journal of Critical Infrastructures 1: 86–99.
Schilling, J., and J. Logan. 2008. Greening the rust belt: A green infrastructure model for right sizing America’s shrinking cities. Journal of the American Planning Association 74: 451–466. https://doi.org/10.1080/01944360802354956.
Schröter, M., E.H. van der Zanden, A.P.E. van Oudenhoven, R.P. Remme, H.M. Serna-Chavez, R.S. de Groot, and P. Opdam. 2014. Ecosystem services as a contested concept: A synthesis of critique and counter-arguments. Conservation Letters. https://doi.org/10.1111/conl.12091.
Simpson, R.D. 2011. The “ecosystem service framework”: A critical assessment, vol. 23. Nairobi: The United Nations Environment Programme.
Stoll, S., M. Frenzel, B. Burkhard, M. Adamescu, A. Augustaitis, C. Baeßler, F.J. Bonet, M. Laura Carranza, et al. 2015. Assessment of ecosystem integrity and service gradients across Europe using the LTER Europe network. Ecological Modelling 295: 75–87. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.ecolmodel.2014.06.019.
Sustainability Research Network. 2017. Integrated urban infrastructure solutions for environmentally sustainable, health and livable cities. Champaign: Sustainability Research Network.
TEEB. 2010. The economics of ecosystems and biodiversity ecological and economic foundations. London: Earthscan.
Tengö, M., E.S. Brondizio, T. Elmqvist, P. Malmer, and M. Spierenburg. 2014. Connecting diverse knowledge systems for enhanced ecosystem governance: The multiple evidence base approach. Ambio 43: 579–591. https://doi.org/10.1007/s13280-014-0501-3.
Tzoulas, K., K. Korpela, S. Venn, V. Ylipelkonen, A. Kazmierczak, J. Niemela, and P. James. 2007. Promoting ecosystem and human health in urban areas using Green Infrastructure: A literature review. Landscape and Urban Planning 81: 167–178. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.landurbplan.2007.02.001.
United Nations. 2012. World urbanisation prospects the 2011 revision. New York: World Urbanisation Prospects, Department of Economic and Social Affairs.
UPHI. 2017. Urban health initiative. https://www.mailman.columbia.edu/research/urbanhealth-initiative.
Urban Design Lab. 2016. Developing high performance green infrastructure systems. www.urbandesignlab.columbia.edu/projects/coastal-cities-resiliency/developing-high-performance-green-infrastructure-systems/.
US EPA. 2014. EPA greening CSO plans: Planning and modeling green infrastructure for combined sewer overflow (CSO) control. Washington, DC: US EPA.
Vihervaara, P., T. Kumpula, A. Tanskanen, and B. Burkhard. 2010. Ecosystem services—A tool for sustainable management of human–environment systems. Case study Finnish Forest Lapland. Ecological Complexity 7: 410–420. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.ecocom.2009.12.002.
Wu, J. 2014. Urban ecology and sustainability: The state-of-the-science and future directions. Landscape and Urban Planning 125: 209–221.
Ziter, C. 2015. The biodiversity–ecosystem service relationship in urban areas: A quantitative review. Oikos 125: 761–768. https://doi.org/10.1111/oik.02883.
Acknowledgements
This work was funded, in part, by the National Science Foundation (NSF) Integrative Graduate Education and Research Training (IGERT) Fellowship #DGE-0903597, NSF Coastal SEES Award #1325676 and NSF Sustainability Research Networks Award #1444745: “Integrated Urban Infrastructure Solutions for Environmentally Sustainable, Healthy, and Livable Cities.” Furthermore, Robert Elliott gratefully acknowledges the support of The Earth Institute’s Postdoctoral Fellowship Program. Any opinions, findings, and conclusions expressed in this letter are those of the author and not meant to represent the views of any supporting institution.
Author information
Authors and Affiliations
Corresponding author
Additional information
Publisher's Note
Springer Nature remains neutral with regard to jurisdictional claims in published maps and institutional affiliations.
Electronic supplementary material
Below is the link to the electronic supplementary material.
Rights and permissions
About this article
Cite this article
Elliott, R.M., Motzny, A.E., Majd, S. et al. Identifying linkages between urban green infrastructure and ecosystem services using an expert opinion methodology. Ambio 49, 569–583 (2020). https://doi.org/10.1007/s13280-019-01223-9
Received:
Revised:
Accepted:
Published:
Issue Date:
DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s13280-019-01223-9