Global Variation in Climate, Human Development, and Population Density Has Implications for Urban Ecosystem Services

Daniel Richards, Mahyar Masoudi, Rachel R. Y. Oh, Erik S. Yando, Jingyuan Zhang, Daniel A. Friess, Adrienne Grêt-Regamey, Puay Yok Tan and Peter J. Edwards
Additional contact information
Daniel Richards: Singapore-ETH Centre, ETH Zurich, Singapore 138602, Singapore
Mahyar Masoudi: Campus for Research Excellence and Technological Enterprise, Singapore 138602, Singapore
Rachel R. Y. Oh: School of Biological Sciences, University of Queensland, 4072 Brisbane, Australia
Erik S. Yando: Campus for Research Excellence and Technological Enterprise, Singapore 138602, Singapore
Jingyuan Zhang: Campus for Research Excellence and Technological Enterprise, Singapore 138602, Singapore
Daniel A. Friess: Department of Geography, National University of Singapore, Singapore 117570, Singapore
Adrienne Grêt-Regamey: Chair of Planning of Landscape and Urban Systems, ETH Zurich, 8093 Zurich, Switzerland
Puay Yok Tan: School of Design and Environment, National University of Singapore, Singapore 117566, Singapore
Peter J. Edwards: Singapore-ETH Centre, ETH Zurich, Singapore 138602, Singapore

Sustainability, 2019, vol. 11, issue 22, 1-14

Abstract: Humans rely upon ecosystem services to regulate their environment and to provide resources and cultural benefits. As the world’s urban population grows, it becomes increasingly important to find ways of improving the provision of ecosystem services in urban areas. However, the kinds of ecosystem services that are most needed or demanded by urban populations, and the opportunities to provide these, vary widely in cities around the world. Here we explore variation in climate, Human Development Index (HDI), and population density, and discuss their implications for providing and managing urban ecosystem services. Using 221 published studies of urban ecosystem services, we analyse the extent to which existing research adequately covers global variation in climatic and social conditions. Our results reveal an under-representation of studies from tropical cities and from lower HDI countries, with implications for how we conceptualize and quantify urban ecosystem services, and how we transfer benefits across case studies. Future work should be aimed at correcting these deficits and determining the extent to which conclusions about urban ecosystem services are transferable from one city to another.

Keywords: green infrastructure; natural capital; sustainable development; urban ecology (search for similar items in EconPapers)
JEL-codes: O13 Q Q0 Q2 Q3 Q5 Q56 (search for similar items in EconPapers)
Date: 2019
References: View references in EconPapers View complete reference list from CitEc
Citations: View citations in EconPapers (7)

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