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Green (and blue) spaces receive attention as important components of cities that can help to mitigate the effects of climate change, support biodiversity and improve public health. Green space planning aims to transform cities towards urban sustainability and resilience. In a longitudinal study, representatives from eleven European municipalities that had previously been interviewed in 2014 were re-interviewed in 2020-2021 on changes in urban greening and related practices. The interviewees reported mainly advancements in dealing with ecological issues, such as new plans, strategies, regulations or funding programmes for climate adaptation or biodiversity support, as well as some progress in co-governance with non-governmental stakeholders. Promising developments include breaking professional silos by creating new units that can better deal with complex urban issues. In a few cases, high-level local politicians induced profound changes. These changes stimulated the development of new planning and governance cultures, resulting in more co-creation of urban green spaces. However, from a transformation studies perspective, incremental strategies dominate, and even when municipal representatives are aware that substantive changes are needed, they often lack the means to act. For more radical system change, significant extra efforts are needed.

Leveraging the benefits provided by nature can help mitigate the environmental and social challenges caused by urbanization and contribute to positive health and sustainability outcomes. These benefits, referred to as ecosystem services (ES), have garnered much attention in recent years. Yet there remain gaps in the understanding of cultural ES (CES), or the intangible benefits people gain from ecosystems, including opportunities for recreation, restoration, and aesthetic appreciation, particularly in urban contexts. This dissertation therefore aims to further understanding of CES supply and demand interactions and inequalities in an urban context and to introduce new approaches and methodologies for studying CES supply and demand. We first investigate the uses and perceived qualities of large urban green spaces (UGS), which provide a unique set of benefits in cities. Then, attention is turned toward urban residential streets, which are under-exploited and under-researched spaces of potential greening. More specifically, public perceptions of greening residential streets are considered, including the perceived benefits and challenges associated with street greening. The Brussels Capital Region is taken as a case study; earlier work on Brussels has shown that green is unequally distributed in the region to the disadvantage of vulnerable social groups.First, the background knowledge and theory framing the research are presented in Chapter 1, along with the overarching research objectives. Then, in Chapter 2, different types of UGS users are identified through the construction of bundles of UGS use and valuation. We distinguish two notable groups of UGS users: those who visit UGS for “nature-oriented” purposes and those who undertake “social” uses. Younger respondents tend to use UGS for social reasons and older respondents for nature-oriented reasons. Having a child in the household was also more often associated with social use. “Mismatches” in CES supply and demand, Doctorat en Art de bâtir et urbanisme (Polytechnique), info:eu-repo/semantics/nonPublished

Das Konzept der Ökosystemleistungen kann helfen, Umsetzungsdefizite der räumlichen Planung zu bewältigen und den Schutz und die nachhaltige Nutzung von Natur und Landschaft zu fördern. Die vielfältigen Erkenntnisse zur Anwendung in Deutschland wurden bisher jedoch noch nicht systematisch zusammengebracht und ausgewertet. Der vorliegende Beitrag stellt Thesen für einen Einsatz des Konzepts der Ökosystemleistungen in der räumlichen Planung und für eine nachhaltige Raumentwicklung vor. Die Thesen führen den Stand des Wissens zusammen und geben Empfehlungen für den Einsatz in der Praxis und für weitere Forschung. Sie sind in drei thematische Bereiche gegliedert: Thesen zum generellen Nutzen des Konzepts, zu Hemmnissen und Potenzialen des Einsatzes wie der Anbindung an Planungsinstrumente sowie Thesen zu Handlungsbedarfen in Forschung und Planung. Sie sollen Wissenschaft und Praxis motivieren, das Konzept der Ökosystemleistungen in relevanten Planungskontexten einzusetzen, es für besseren Schutz und die nachhaltige Entwicklung von Natur und Landschaft zu nutzen und somit Transformationsprozesse zu einer nachhaltigen Entwicklung zu unterstützen., The concept of ecosystem services can help to overcome implementation deficits in spatial planning and to promote the protection and sustainable use of nature and landscape. However, diverse findings on the concept's application in Germany have not yet been brought together and evaluated. The aim of this paper is to present theses on the meaningful and effective use of ecosystem services in spatial planning and the promotion of sustainable spatial development. The theses are intended to summarize the state of knowledge and provide recommendations for use in practice and for further research. They are divided into three thematic areas: Theses on the benefits of the ecosystem services concept, on obstacles and potentials of its use and theses on needs for action. The theses are intended to motivate practitioners and scientists to apply the ecosystem services concept in appropriate planning contexts, to use it for better protection and development of nature and landscape, and to support transformation processes towards sustainable development.

Um den Auswirkungen von Klimawandel und Biodiversitätsverlusten entgegenzusteuern, sind nachhaltige Transformationen der gesellschaftlichen Systeme und Prozesse sowie der räumlichen Planung erforderlich. Ökosystemleistungen werden als ein Konzept diskutiert, mit dem sich der Umgang mit natürlichen Ressourcen hin zu mehr Nachhaltigkeit wandeln könnte. In diesem Beitrag wird anhand von sechs anwendungsorientierten Forschungsprojekten analysiert, inwieweit 'Transformation' in der planungsbezogenen Forschung zu Ökosystemleistungen bisher eine Rolle spielt und welche Potenziale in der Wissenschaft gesehen werden, mittels Ökosystemleistungen zu einem transformativen Wandel im Kontext der Raumplanung beizutragen. Es zeigt sich, dass die aktuellen Forschungsprojekte zu Ökosystemleistungen überwiegend keinen direkten Bezug auf transformative Prozesse nehmen und Veränderungen innerhalb des bestehenden Rahmens anstreben. Bei einer entsprechenden Ausgestaltung der Forschung wäre es allerdings möglich, zu transformativen Prozessen beizutragen. Mit dem Ökosystemleistungskonzept können unter anderem Systemdenken gefördert, klassische Ressortgrenzen überschritten und zivilgesellschaftliche Akteure stärker eingebunden werden. Experimente in der Forschung könnten die Grundlage für die Umgestaltung des Planungssystems sein, beginnend auf einer Nischenebene., To counteract the effects of climate change and biodiversity loss, sustainable transformations of societal systems and processes, as well as spatial planning, are required. Ecosystem services are considered as a concept that could transform the management of natural resources towards more sustainability. On the basis of six application-oriented research projects, this paper analyses the extent to which transformation has played a role in planning-related research on ecosystem services so far and what potential experts see for contributing to transformative change in the context of spatial planning by means of ecosystem services. The current research projects on ecosystem services predominantly do not directly refer to transformative processes and strive for changes within the existing planning framework. However, if research would be designed accordingly, it would be possible to contribute to transformative processes. Among other things, the concept of ecosystem services can be used to promote system thinking, cross sectorial boundaries, or involve civic stakeholders to a greater extent. Experiments in research could be the basis for transforming the planning system starting at the niche level.

Das Konzept der Ökosystemleistungen bietet eine Möglichkeit, um Natur und Landschaft zu schützen und nachhaltig zu nutzen. In Planungsprozessen kann es genutzt werden, um die Leistungen des Naturhaushaltes zu bewerten, mit anderen Interessen abzuwägen und transparentere Grundlagen für Entscheidungen bereitzustellen. Wenn Ökosystemleistungen als zentrale Bestandteile in Strategien der räumlichen Planung aufgenommen würden, könnten sie die Umsetzung und Wirkung der Planungen im Sinne des Ressourcenschutzes verbessern. Das vorliegende Positionspapier verdeutlicht anhand von zehn Thesen, wie das Konzept der Ökosystemleistungen in der räumlichen Planung genutzt werden kann. Der Arbeitskreis "Ökosystemleistungen in der räumlichen Planung" der ARL hat diese Empfehlungen erarbeitet und benennt zu den Themen "Nutzen", "Einsatzoptionen" und "Handlungsbedarfe" konkrete Ansätze für einen besseren Schutz von Natur und Landschaft. Die Thesen sollen dazu motivieren, das Konzept der Ökosystemleistungen in der Raumplanung einzusetzen und so Transformationsprozesse zu einer nachhaltigen räumlichen Entwicklung anzustoßen., The concept of ecosystem services represents an approach to support the protection and sustainable use of nature and landscapes. In planning processes, it can be used to assess the contributions ecosystems provide to human well-being, to weigh them against other interests, and to support transparent decision-making. If ecosystem services were central in spatial planning, they could improve the protection of natural resources. This position paper presents ten propositions that illustrate how the concept of ecosystem services can be used in spatial planning. The ARL working group "Ecosystem Services in Spatial Planning" has developed these recommendations and suggests specific approaches for better protection of nature and landscape. They address three topics: Benefits, Implementation options, and Actions required. The propositions shall motivate the implementation of the ecosystem services concept in spatial planning and initiate transformative processes towards sustainable spatial development.

Green (and blue) spaces receive attention as important components of cities that can help to mitigate the effects of climate change, support biodiversity and improve public health. Green space planning aims to transform cities towards urban sustainability and resilience. In a longitudinal study, representatives from eleven European municipalities that had previously been interviewed in 2014 were re-interviewed in 2020–2021 on changes in urban greening and related practices. The interviewees reported mainly advancements in dealing with ecological issues, such as new plans, strategies, regulations or funding programmes for climate adaptation or biodiversity support, as well as some progress in co-governance with non-governmental stakeholders. Promising developments include breaking professional silos by creating new units that can better deal with complex urban issues. In a few cases, high-level local politicians induced profound changes. These changes stimulated the development of new planning and governance cultures, resulting in more co-creation of urban green spaces. However, from a transformation studies perspective, incremental strategies dominate, and even when municipal representatives are aware that substantive changes are needed, they often lack the means to act. For more radical system change, significant extra efforts are needed.

Compact urban development, social demands and austerity measures are increasing pressures on urban greenspace. Meanwhile, active citizens, defined as voluntary individuals or groups who self-organize to contribute to urban green space development, provide ecological and social benefits to urban societies. This has inspired local governments to seek collaborations with non-state actors, including active citizens. However, the diverging aims, place-specific focus, and varying expertise of active citizenship may inhibit its contribution to ecological connectivity and upscaling beyond the local scale. In this paper, we investigate how “mosaic governance” has potential as a framework for understanding active citizenship, its potential for upscaling and its relationship to strategic UGI planning. Using the policy arrangements approach, we analyse the role of discourse, resources, actors and rules of the game in the upscaling of active citizenship. Based on eight empirical cases from seven European cities, we analyse the diversity of collaborations between local governments and active citizens in greenspace development. The cases show how active citizens can significantly contribute to UGI planning and implementation, for example by developing large parks with volunteers or designing a network of green corridors. The cases reveal multiple ways citizens and local governments benefit from collaborations, as well as different pathways for upscaling innovative discourses and practices from local communities to formal policy or to other cities. To enable upscaling, UGI planning needs to combine long-term, more formalized and higher-scale strategic approaches with more incremental approaches that correspond with localized, fragmented and informal efforts of local communities. While collaborations between municipalities and active citizenship is not without its difficulties, the examples of upscaling in our cases demonstrate the transformative power active citiz, Compact urban development, social demands and austerity measures are increasing pressures on urban greenspace. Meanwhile, active citizens, defined as voluntary individuals or groups who self-organize to contribute to urban green space development, provide ecological and social benefits to urban societies. This has inspired local governments to seek collaborations with non-state actors, including active citizens. However, the diverging aims, place-specific focus, and varying expertise of active citizenship may inhibit its contribution to ecological connectivity and upscaling beyond the local scale. In this paper, we investigate how “mosaic governance” has potential as a framework for understanding active citizenship, its potential for upscaling and its relationship to strategic UGI planning. Using the policy arrangements approach, we analyse the role of discourse, resources, actors and rules of the game in the upscaling of active citizenship. Based on eight empirical cases from seven European cities, we analyse the diversity of collaborations between local governments and active citizens in greenspace development. The cases show how active citizens can significantly contribute to UGI planning and implementation, for example by developing large parks with volunteers or designing a network of green corridors. The cases reveal multiple ways citizens and local governments benefit from collaborations, as well as different pathways for upscaling innovative discourses and practices from local communities to formal policy or to other cities. To enable upscaling, UGI planning needs to combine long-term, more formalized and higher-scale strategic approaches with more incremental approaches that correspond with localized, fragmented and informal efforts of local communities. While collaborations between municipalities and active citizenship is not without its difficulties, the examples of upscaling in our cases demonstrate the transformative power active citizens may have to