Ecosystem Services Assessment Tools for Regenerative Urban Design in Oceania

Fabian Delpy, Maibritt Pedersen Zari, Bethanna Jackson, Rubianca Benavidez and Thomas Westend
Additional contact information
Fabian Delpy: Department of Biology, Utrecht University, Padualaan 8, 3584 CH Utrecht, The Netherlands
Maibritt Pedersen Zari: Wellington School of Architecture, Victoria University of Wellington, 139 Vivian Street, Wellington 6011, Aotearoa, New Zealand
Bethanna Jackson: School of Geography, Environmental and Earth Science, Victoria University of Wellington, Kelburn Parade, Wellington 6012, Aotearoa, New Zealand
Rubianca Benavidez: School of Geography, Environmental and Earth Science, Victoria University of Wellington, Kelburn Parade, Wellington 6012, Aotearoa, New Zealand
Thomas Westend: Wellington School of Architecture, Victoria University of Wellington, 139 Vivian Street, Wellington 6011, Aotearoa, New Zealand

Sustainability, 2021, vol. 13, issue 5, 1-22

Abstract: Tools that spatially model ecosystem services offer opportunities to integrate ecology into regenerative urban design. However, few of these tools are designed for assessing ecosystem services in cities, meaning their application by designers is potentially limited. This research reviews and compares a range of ecosystem services assessment tools to find those that are most suited for the urban context of Oceania. The tool classification includes considerations of type of input and output data, time commitment, and necessary skills required. The strengths and limitations of the most relevant tools are further discussed alongside illustrative case studies, some collected from literature and one conducted as part of this research in Wellington, Aotearoa using the Land Utilisation and Capability Indicator (LUCI) tool. A major finding of the research is that from the 95 tools reviewed, only four are judged to be potentially relevant for urban design projects. These are modelling tools that allow spatially explicit visualisation of biophysical quantification of ecosystem services. The ecosystem services assessed vary among tools and the outputs’ reliability is often highly influenced by the user’s technical expertise. The provided recommendations support urban designers and architects to choose the tool that best suits their regenerative design project requirements.

Keywords: ecosystem-based adaptation; multidisciplinary design; urban ecology; Pacific islands; nature-based design; SIDS; climate change adaptation; New Zealand; urban design (search for similar items in EconPapers)
JEL-codes: O13 Q Q0 Q2 Q3 Q5 Q56 (search for similar items in EconPapers)
Date: 2021
References: View references in EconPapers View complete reference list from CitEc
Citations: View citations in EconPapers (2)

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