IDEAS home Printed from https://ideas.repec.org/a/gam/jlands/v13y2024i10p1664-d1497353.html
   My bibliography  Save this article

The Role of Green Infrastructure in Providing Urban Ecosystem Services: Insights from a Bibliometric Perspective

Author

Listed:
  • Milena V. Sokolova

    (International PhD Programme/UNESCO Chair “Environment, Resources and Sustainable Development”, Department of Science and Technology, Parthenope University of Naples, 80122 Naples, Italy
    Advancing Systems Analysis Program, International Institute for Applied Systems Analysis, 2361 Laxenburg, Austria)

  • Brian D. Fath

    (Advancing Systems Analysis Program, International Institute for Applied Systems Analysis, 2361 Laxenburg, Austria
    Department of Biological Sciences, Towson University, Towson, MD 21252, USA
    Department of Environmental Studies, Masaryk University, 602 00 Brno, Czech Republic)

  • Umberto Grande

    (International PhD Programme/UNESCO Chair “Environment, Resources and Sustainable Development”, Department of Science and Technology, Parthenope University of Naples, 80122 Naples, Italy
    Department of Geobotany and Landscape Planning, Nicolaus Copernicus University, 87-100 Torun, Poland)

  • Elvira Buonocore

    (International PhD Programme/UNESCO Chair “Environment, Resources and Sustainable Development”, Department of Science and Technology, Parthenope University of Naples, 80122 Naples, Italy)

  • Pier Paolo Franzese

    (International PhD Programme/UNESCO Chair “Environment, Resources and Sustainable Development”, Department of Science and Technology, Parthenope University of Naples, 80122 Naples, Italy)

Abstract

Urban ecosystems, and the services they provide, are a key focus of the United Nations 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development, specifically SDG 11, which emphasizes making cities inclusive, safe, resilient, and sustainable. Green infrastructure (GI) is crucial in enhancing citizens’ quality of life and achieving this goal and it can be defined as a strategically planned network of natural and semi-natural areas designed to deliver a range of ecosystem services (ESs). These infrastructures improve ecosystem functioning, protect biodiversity, promote health, support sustainable land and water management, and boost the local green economy. This paper explores the scientific literature on GI and their ESs in cities using bibliometric science. By combining the keywords “Green Infrastructures”, “Ecosystem Services”, and “Cities” with VOSviewer software (1.6.20 version), we analyzed trends over time. Results show growing attention to these topics, emphasizing human well-being, urban resilience, and sustainability. The study also highlights that focusing exclusively on either “Green Infrastructure in Cities” or “Ecosystem Services in Cities” leads to fragmented insights. A more integrated examination of these three domains offers a holistic view and underscores the importance of considering ecosystem disservices. The study further identifies key research directions, including the need for a comprehensive evaluation of diverse GI types, especially those that are under-researched, such as green roofs, sports areas, and wetlands, and the underexplored role of cultural ecosystem services. Additionally, future research should consider both the benefits and disservices of GI to support better urban planning decisions. Finally, integrating biophysical, social, and economic values of ESs is critical for providing more holistic insights and enhancing sustainable urban development. The novelty of this paper lies in its integrated, holistic approach to examining GI and ESs in urban areas, with a focus on ecosystem disservices, insufficient attention to specific GI types, and the role of cultural ecosystem services—each contributing to the creation of more resilient and sustainable cities.

Suggested Citation

  • Milena V. Sokolova & Brian D. Fath & Umberto Grande & Elvira Buonocore & Pier Paolo Franzese, 2024. "The Role of Green Infrastructure in Providing Urban Ecosystem Services: Insights from a Bibliometric Perspective," Land, MDPI, vol. 13(10), pages 1-20, October.
    • Handle: RePEc:gam:jlands:v:13:y:2024:i:10:p:1664-:d:1497353
    as

    Download full text from publisher

    File URL: https://www.mdpi.com/2073-445X/13/10/1664/pdf
    Download Restriction: no
    File URL: https://www.mdpi.com/2073-445X/13/10/1664/
    Download Restriction: no
    ---><---

    References listed on IDEAS

    as
    1. Claudia de Luca & Sandra Naumann & McKenna Davis & Simona Tondelli, 2021. "Nature-Based Solutions and Sustainable Urban Planning in the European Environmental Policy Framework: Analysis of the State of the Art and Recommendations for Future Development," Sustainability, MDPI, vol. 13(9), pages 1-22, April.
    2. Merve Ersoy Mirici, 2022. "The Ecosystem Services and Green Infrastructure: A Systematic Review and the Gap of Economic Valuation," Sustainability, MDPI, vol. 14(1), pages 1-16, January.
    3. Jorge H. Amorim & Magnuz Engardt & Christer Johansson & Isabel Ribeiro & Magnus Sannebro, 2021. "Regulating and Cultural Ecosystem Services of Urban Green Infrastructure in the Nordic Countries: A Systematic Review," IJERPH, MDPI, vol. 18(3), pages 1-19, January.
    Full references (including those not matched with items on IDEAS)

    Citations

    Citations are extracted by the CitEc Project, subscribe to its RSS feed for this item.
    as


    Cited by:

    1. Kang Li & Hui Qian & Siqi Li & Zhiming Cao & Panpan Tian & Xiaoxin Shi & Jie Chen & Yanyan Gao, 2025. "Quantifying the Driving Forces of Water Conservation Using Geodetector with Optimized Parameters: A Case Study of the Yiluo River Basin," Land, MDPI, vol. 14(2), pages 1-26, January.
    2. Tamara Bračko & Primož Jelušič & Bojan Žlender, 2025. "Geotechnical Aspects of N(H)bSs for Enhancing Sub-Alpine Mountain Climate Resilience," Land, MDPI, vol. 14(3), pages 1-32, February.

    Most related items

    These are the items that most often cite the same works as this one and are cited by the same works as this one.
    1. Guglielmo Pristeri & Viviana di Martino & Silvia Ronchi & Stefano Salata & Francesca Mazza & Andrea Benedini & Andrea Arcidiacono, 2023. "An Operational Model to Downscale Regional Green Infrastructures in Supra-Local Plans: A Case Study in an Italian Alpine Sub-Region," Sustainability, MDPI, vol. 15(15), pages 1-25, July.
    2. Katarzyna Kołat & Marek Furmankiewicz & Magdalena Kalisiak-Mędelska, 2022. "What Are the Needs of City Dwellers in Terms of the Development of Public Spaces? A Case Study of Participatory Budgeting in Częstochowa, Poland," IJERPH, MDPI, vol. 19(9), pages 1-21, April.
    3. Tianwei Geng & Hai Chen & Di Liu & Qinqin Shi & Hang Zhang, 2021. "Research on Mediating Mechanisms and the Impact on Food Provision Services in Poor Areas from the Perspective of Stakeholders," IJERPH, MDPI, vol. 18(19), pages 1-18, October.
    4. Carmela Mariano & Francesca Rossi, 2023. "RivEr/Generation_LAB-Linking Resilience with Inclusiveness in the Urban-Built Environment of Rome," Sustainability, MDPI, vol. 15(6), pages 1-22, March.
    5. Xiaofeng Ji & Haotian Guan & Mengyuan Lu & Fang Chen & Wenwen Qin, 2022. "International Research Progress in School Travel and Behavior: A Literature Review and Bibliometric Analysis," Sustainability, MDPI, vol. 14(14), pages 1-25, July.
    6. Sina Razzaghi Asl & Hamil Pearsall, 2022. "How Do Different Modes of Governance Support Ecosystem Services/Disservices in Small-Scale Urban Green Infrastructure? A Systematic Review," Land, MDPI, vol. 11(8), pages 1-21, August.
    7. Anna Biasin & Mauro Masiero & Giulia Amato & Davide Pettenella, 2023. "Nature-Based Solutions Modeling and Cost-Benefit Analysis to Face Climate Change Risks in an Urban Area: The Case of Turin (Italy)," Land, MDPI, vol. 12(2), pages 1-32, January.
    8. Abubakar Shafiq & Mohammed Duhis & Aneela Kousar & Mugeesa Rubab, 2024. "Climate Change Mitigation Strategies: Evaluating the Effectiveness of Renewable Energy Policies in Urban Environments," Bulletin of Business and Economics (BBE), Research Foundation for Humanity (RFH), vol. 13(3), pages 345-353.
    9. Jarmila Makovníková & Stanislav Kološta & Filip Flaška & Boris Pálka, 2023. "Potential of Regulating Ecosystem Services in Relation to Natural Capital in Model Regions of Slovakia," Sustainability, MDPI, vol. 15(2), pages 1-22, January.
    10. Nowak-Olejnik, Agnieszka & Schirpke, Uta & Tappeiner, Ulrike, 2022. "A systematic review on subjective well-being benefits associated with cultural ecosystem services," Ecosystem Services, Elsevier, vol. 57(C).
    11. Juan F. Velasco-Munoz & José A. Aznar-Sánchez & Marina Schoenemann & Belén López-Felices, 2022. "The economic valuation of ecosystem services: bibliometric analysis," Oeconomia Copernicana, Institute of Economic Research, vol. 13(4), pages 977-1014, December.
    12. Samanta Bačić & Hrvoje Tomić & Katarina Rogulj & Goran Andlar, 2024. "Fuzzy Decision-Making Valuation Model for Urban Green Infrastructure Implementation," Energies, MDPI, vol. 17(20), pages 1-15, October.
    13. Anahita Azadgar & Lucyna Nyka & Stefano Salata, 2024. "Advancing Urban Flood Resilience: A Systematic Review of Urban Flood Risk Mitigation Model, Research Trends, and Future Directions," Land, MDPI, vol. 13(12), pages 1-26, December.
    14. Dongqing Zhang & Chao Mei & Xiangyi Ding & Jiahong Liu & Xiaoran Fu & Jia Wang & Dong Wang, 2022. "Impacts of Rainstorm Characteristics on Runoff Quantity and Quality Control Performance Considering Integrated Green Infrastructures," Sustainability, MDPI, vol. 14(18), pages 1-18, September.

    Corrections

    All material on this site has been provided by the respective publishers and authors. You can help correct errors and omissions. When requesting a correction, please mention this item's handle: RePEc:gam:jlands:v:13:y:2024:i:10:p:1664-:d:1497353. See general information about how to correct material in RePEc.

    If you have authored this item and are not yet registered with RePEc, we encourage you to do it here. This allows to link your profile to this item. It also allows you to accept potential citations to this item that we are uncertain about.

    If CitEc recognized a bibliographic reference but did not link an item in RePEc to it, you can help with this form .

    If you know of missing items citing this one, you can help us creating those links by adding the relevant references in the same way as above, for each refering item. If you are a registered author of this item, you may also want to check the "citations" tab in your RePEc Author Service profile, as there may be some citations waiting for confirmation.

    For technical questions regarding this item, or to correct its authors, title, abstract, bibliographic or download information, contact: MDPI Indexing Manager (email available below). General contact details of provider: https://www.mdpi.com .

    Please note that corrections may take a couple of weeks to filter through the various RePEc services.

    IDEAS is a RePEc service. RePEc uses bibliographic data supplied by the respective publishers.