With the process comes the progress: A systematic review to support governance assessment of urban nature-based solutions

The last decade has seen a profound increase in the development of assessment frameworks for ecosystem ser-vices, green infrastructure and nature-based solutions (NBS). This has improved understanding of NBS impact assessment, including processual aspects related to participatory planning and governance. We argue that, although representing a move in the right direction, NBS assessment frameworks would benefit from a broader framing of governance, including the role of government-led laws, policies and regulations along with community-led and collaborative multi-stakeholder initiatives. The consideration of marginalised communities and environmental justice should also be strengthened. To ensure a feasible and comprehensive approach to NBS governance assessment, we carried out a systematic literature review on the topic of urban NBS governance. Using thematic analysis, we developed a framework of five themes encompassing nine governance dimensions, of which some are further broken down into sub-dimensions. To assess the different NBS governance dimensions, we developed a tool in the format of a survey for urban decision-makers and other stakeholders, encompassing nine urban NBS governance indicators corresponding with the identified dimensions. Further to complementing NBS governance assessment approaches in important ways, we were able to highlight knowledge gaps around integrating features of the planning process and community-based or traditional knowledge. Our tool for monitoring urban NBS governance is simple to use and provides cities with a low-cost and comprehensive approach for monitoring and evaluating their readiness for mainstreaming NBS

Willingness to Pay for the Maintenance of Green Infrastructure in Six Chinese Pilot Sponge Cities

Due to the increasingly devastating impact of pluvial flooding on human beings' lives and properties in cities, the use of green infrastructure to manage stormwater onsite is becoming more popular worldwide. The maintenance of green infrastructure to ensure its function has become one of the most pressing tasks facing policy makers. However, there is limited research regarding the willingness to pay the stormwater fee as a form of maintenance funding. This study utilized contingent valuation data obtained from a survey of 1101 respondents living in six pilot sponge cities in China to estimate the willingness to pay for the green infrastructure maintenance. The findings indicated that two-thirds of all respondents were willing to pay, 17% would like to pay around 6-10 RMB/month (0.95-1.59 US dollars/month), and 17.8% would like to pay more than 20 RMB/month (3.2 US dollars/month). The educational level and age of the respondents were significant determinants of the probability of willingness to pay and the amount they would like to pay. Knowledge of the concept of sponge cities was another significant influencing factor for the willingness to pay, but it did not influence the amount of payment. The findings could help policy makers make better strategies regarding the maintenance of green infrastructure and its costs

Comparing ground and remotely sensed measurements of urban tree canopy in private residences

Private residential areas represent a large portion of urban tree canopy and provide a significant amount of ecosystem services for mitigation of negative environmental impacts. With densification, construction of impermeable surfaces, loss of plantable space and urban tree canopy loss, communities are facing a potential degradation of urban environment and loss of living quality. Monitoring urban tree canopy change with repeated assessments over time is key for supplying information for management decisions. We examined how remote sensing has been used in the past assessments of urban tree canopy area, the public availability and quality of geodata sources and grey literature examples. Field measurements of tree canopy area were collected in private residential properties in Malmö, Sweden and compared to estimates of canopy area using remote sensing data collected by the public mapping agency ‘Lantmäteriet’. The remote sensing model was derived using normalized difference in vegetation (NDVI) and LiDAR. Most Swedish municipalities conduct urban tree monitoring schemes only on street and park trees. Our results show a correlation in remotely sensed tree canopy area and field measurements, suggesting that monitoring of private residential areas can be conducted frequently and non-invasively where remote sensing information of similar quality is available

Resonance model study of strangeness production in pp collisions

Results for the energy dependence of the elementary kaon production cross sections in proton-proton collisions are reported. Calculations are performed within an extended version of the resonance model which was used for the previous studies of elementary kaon production in pion-nucleon and pion-$\Delta$ collisions. Although the model treatment is within the {\it empirical} tree level (observed widths for the resonances are used), it is fully relativistic, and includes all relevant baryon resonances up to 2 GeV. One of the purposes of this study is to provide the results for the simulation codes of subthreshold kaon production in heavy ion collisions. This is the first, consistent study of the elementary kaon production reactions including both $\pi B$ and $B B$ ($B=N, \Delta$) collisions on the same footing. Comparisons are made between the calculated results and the existing semi-empirical parametrizations which are widely used for the simulation codes, as well as the experimental data.Comment: 10 pages with 5 postscript figures, Latex, revised version for publication in Phys. Lett.

Sustainable smart park management - a smarter approach to urban green space management?

In parallel with ongoing discussions on what the concept of a smart city actually entails, use of smart technology in management and governance of urban green space is increasing. Application of smart technologies usually involves multiple sensors, smartphones, internet connections, etc., working together to make green space management more inclusive and effective. In the Sustainable Smart Parks project in Gothenburg, Sweden, new technologies are being applied and tested for availability, reliance, and relevance for contemporary management. However, moving these technologies beyond ad-hoc applications and creating a joint systems approach to future management is still unexplored. In this article, we introduce an analytical framework based on urban ecology and nature-based thinking and use it to examine the Sustainable Smart Parks initiative. The framework works well in distinguishing integration of diversity, connectivity, adaptation, inclusion, and perception in different technologies. However, further studies are needed to test adequacy of the 5 initial criteria in a wider context and to increase coupling of smart technologies that share similar focus within each criterion. This would stimulate “systems mapping” and thus clearer progression toward integrated smart green space management

Citizen Willingness to Pay for the Implementation of Urban Green Infrastructure in the Pilot Sponge Cities in China

Urban green infrastructure has been widely used to in cities to solve stormwater problems caused by extreme weather events and urbanization around the world. However, the lack of a long-term funding mechanism for performing urban green infrastructure's functions has limited wider implementation. Factors influencing citizen attitudes and willingness to pay for urban green infrastructure vary from city to city. This study estimated the public's willingness to pay for urban green infrastructure, as well as compared the selected influencing factors of willingness to pay in different Chinese pilot sponge cities. The results show that 60% to 75% of all respondents in the cities were willing to support the implementation of urban green infrastructure in sponge cities, with those most willing to pay around 0-5 RMB/month (0-0.72 USD/month). The respondents' educational level was a significant influencing factor for their willingness to pay in all six cities, but age, gender and family monthly income correlated differently with respondents' willingness to pay in different cities. Previous knowledge of the sponge city concept and sponge city construction in the community were not significantly correlated with residents' willingness to pay. We conclude that local governments in China need to provide more information to the general public about the multiple ecosystem services, e.g., educational and recreational benefits, that urban green infrastructure can provide. In doing so, it will help a shift to urban green infrastructure as the solution to dealing with urban stormwater problems

Hållbar grönyteskötsel

Projektets syfte har varit att, genom ett Öresundsperspektiv, definiera vad hållbar grönyteskötsel är för danska och svenska grönyteförvaltare och ta fram ett ramverk för hur hållbarhet kan beskrivas. Under projektets gång har tre workshops anordnats och diskussionerna under dessa varit av stor betydelse för slutresultatet. Projektet har resulterat i ett ramverk som kan användas då en förvaltning vill utvärdera sitt arbete med hållbarhet eller öka förvaltningens hållbarhet. Ramverket består av en förvaltningsnivå där sex övergripande hållbarhetsprinciper tagits fram. För olika objekt, vilka är geografiskt avgränsade, har hållbarhet beskrivits utifrån biologiska, ekonomiska och sociala hållbarhetsmål, vilka innehåller tre olika områden: Material, strategi och skötsel (Tabell 1). Utifrån ramverket kan förvaltningarna ta fram konkreta åtgärdsförslag för att öka hållbarheten, både på förvaltnings- och objektnivå

Striving for inclusion – A systematic review of long-term participation in strategic management of urban green spaces

This systematic review contributes to the research field of user participation by suggesting a new holistic approach comprising a cyclic process model for long-term participation in the strategic management of urban green spaces, including analysis, design, and implementation phases, each followed by an evaluation. User participation in urban green spaces is encouraged in international conventions. Such initiatives aim to involve citizens more closely in decisions regarding local spaces, based on the premise that this will create better, more inclusive, and sustainable local environments. However, a social inclusion perspective is largely absent in the growing body of European scientific literature on urban green spaces. Further, user participation processes are often carried out within projects, with uncertainties about which strategic management phase (planning, design, construction, and/or maintenance) to emphasize and about the long-term sustainability of project-based participation. Therefore, the literature was examined for tools for participation with the focus on participation of local users in the strategic management of urban green spaces, and in particular, marginalized groups. A systematic review based on peer-reviewed scientific papers revealed the necessity for adapting participation processes to the known needs of different participant groups, including those of marginalized groups often excluded in the past. Local authorities have several pathways to socially inclusive and long-term participation. These include choosing and employing a suitable participation approach, anchoring repeated project-based participation in existing municipal long-term strategies, continuously supporting participating users and evaluating ongoing participation processes, and employing a mix of participation types and approaches. The “cyclic process model for long-term participation in strategic management of UGS” presented in this paper could guide such efforts