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Evaluating impacts of researchers to enable sustainability transition: using urban ecosystem service literature as an exemplary field

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  • Herlin Chien

    (National Pingtung University of Science and Technology
    United Nations University)

Abstract

The increasing stress of urbanization on ecosystem services has attracted the attention of UN SDG 11 on sustainable cities while alerting other policymakers at the regional and municipality levels. However, the ways in which the scientific community can support or propel cities to make critical future sustainability transitions have remained unclear. To provide partial answers, this study proposed to systematically analyze impacts of researchers in the existing urban ecosystem service (UES) literature as an exemplary field. Methodologically this study first designed a transition management scale and then adopted the scale to assess the existing roles of researchers played within the UES literature. A total of 203 UES journal articles up to 2018 were extracted from two databases as the exemplified literature, and the evaluation process was designed to be two-tiered. First tier of the analysis showed which cities around the world received the most scholarly attention to investigate the issue of urban ecosystem service. The second tier of the evaluation specifically aimed to uncover impacts of researchers to promote process-oriented approach rather than knowledge-first approach to enable urban transition. Asides from the general contribution, four specific impacts of researchers were evaluated: (1) the ability to define the problem of sustainability with other stakeholders (ownership); (2) willingness to negotiate what is sustainable in dialogues (sustainability); (3) capability to balance power dynamics to facilitate societal learning space (power); and (4) interest in making real-world change (action). The overall analysis first revealed the general lack of UES researchers in geographic areas that are urbanizing faster such as Asia and Africa. Then, the work identified two significant deficiencies in impacts of UES researchers to enable urban transition. One deficiency lies in how only 3% of the identified UES studies provided policy recommendations or action to secure science–policy linkage. The other missing part is the comparatively low number of solution-oriented researches with lowest mean value of action among the four variables. In other words, there is currently a shortage of researchers in UES literature to solve the unsustainability of real-world problems with non-academic stakeholders and local communities. The study concluded by arguing that scientists can contribute more to urban sustainability transition if they can be encouraged to play more roles to explore not only what the knowledge “is” but also what “ought to be” and “can be” by engaging in inter-sectoral collaboration and non-scientists.

Suggested Citation

  • Herlin Chien, 2022. "Evaluating impacts of researchers to enable sustainability transition: using urban ecosystem service literature as an exemplary field," Environment, Development and Sustainability: A Multidisciplinary Approach to the Theory and Practice of Sustainable Development, Springer, vol. 24(2), pages 2345-2361, February.
    • Handle: RePEc:spr:endesu:v:24:y:2022:i:2:d:10.1007_s10668-021-01536-4
    DOI: 10.1007/s10668-021-01536-4
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    References listed on IDEAS

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    1. Kaczorowska, Anna & Kain, Jaan-Henrik & Kronenberg, Jakub & Haase, Dagmar, 2016. "Ecosystem services in urban land use planning: Integration challenges in complex urban settings—Case of Stockholm," Ecosystem Services, Elsevier, vol. 22(PA), pages 204-212.
    2. Rotmans, J., 2005. "Societal Innovation: between dream and reality lies complexity," ERIM Inaugural Address Series Research in Management 7293, Erasmus Research Institute of Management (ERIM), ERIM is the joint research institute of the Rotterdam School of Management, Erasmus University and the Erasmus School of Economics (ESE) at Erasmus University Rotterdam..
    3. Dennis, M. & James, P., 2016. "Site-specific factors in the production of local urban ecosystem services: A case study of community-managed green space," Ecosystem Services, Elsevier, vol. 17(C), pages 208-216.
    4. Iwona Szumacher & Piotr Pabjanek, 2017. "Temporal Changes in Ecosystem Services in European Cities in the Continental Biogeographical Region in the Period from 1990–2012," Sustainability, MDPI, vol. 9(4), pages 1-14, April.
    5. Peleg Kremer & Neele Larondelle & Yimin Zhang & Elise Pasles & Dagmar Haase, 2018. "Within-Class and Neighborhood Effects on the Relationship between Composite Urban Classes and Surface Temperature," Sustainability, MDPI, vol. 10(3), pages 1-18, February.
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    7. Hodson, Mike & Marvin, Simon, 2010. "Can cities shape socio-technical transitions and how would we know if they were?," Research Policy, Elsevier, vol. 39(4), pages 477-485, May.
    8. Hamid El Bilali, 2020. "Transition heuristic frameworks in research on agro-food sustainability transitions," Environment, Development and Sustainability: A Multidisciplinary Approach to the Theory and Practice of Sustainable Development, Springer, vol. 22(3), pages 1693-1728, March.
    9. Andrew Almeter & Arik Tashie & Andrew Procter & Tara McAlexander & Douglas Browning & Charles Rudder & Laura Jackson & Rochelle Araujo, 2018. "A Needs-Driven, Multi-Objective Approach to Allocate Urban Ecosystem Services from 10,000 Trees," Sustainability, MDPI, vol. 10(12), pages 1-15, November.
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