An improved method for assessing mismatches between supply and demand in urban regulating ecosystem services: A case study in Tabriz, Iran

Abstract

Regulating ecosystem services provided by urban forests are of great importance for the quality of life among city dwellers. To reach a maximum contribution to well-being in cities, the urban regulating ecosystem services (URES) must match with the demands in terms of space and time. If we understand the matches or mismatches between the current urban dwellers’ desired quality conditions (demand) and the supply of URES by urban forests (UF) in the cities, this will facilitate integrating the concepts of ecosystem services in urban planning and management, but such an assessment has suffered from major knowledge limitations. Since it is complex and problematic to identify the direct demands for URES and the spatiotemporal patterns therein, improving the demand indicators can help to determine the actual requirements. In this paper, a methodological approach based on indicators is presented and demonstrated for two important URES: air quality improvement and global climate change mitigation provided by urban trees and shrubs. Four air quality standards and greenhouse gas reduction targets were used and compared to supplies of the URES in Tabriz, Iran. Our results show that the mean contribution of the URES supply to air quality standards and greenhouse gas reduction targets is modest. Hence, in Tabriz, there is a strong mismatch between demand and supply. Mismatches at the city scale will have to be reduced by both a reduction in pollutant emissions and an increased provisioning of URES supply through urban greenery. The presented assessment approach and the results for Tabriz make it explicit how different the demands and supplies of the two studied URES are, and we expect similar mismatches in many other cities. Therefore, our approach, relatively simple but still realistic and easy-to-apply, can raise awareness about, and the utility of, the ecosystem services concepts for urban planning and policymaking.

Mismatches in the Ecosystem Services Literature—a Review of Spatial, Temporal, and Functional-Conceptual Mismatches

“…Spatial supply-demand mismatches can be a result of land use planning decisions. For example, the zoning of urban and rural areas can cause a spatial disconnect between supply and demand, as demand is primarily located within urban areas but many of the ecosystem services urban residents desire are located in the rural areas, such as food production and air quality regulation (e.g., [37][38][39]). When mismatches in the location of supply and demand occur, people may be able to compensate by traveling to different locations to access ecosystem services [40] or by using non-ecosystem-based alternatives [41].…”

Prioritizing the provision of urban ecosystem services in deprived areas, a question of environmental justice

“…Numerous other local urban ecosystem services that impact human well-being are affected by local leaf area and biomass, such as building energy use and thermal comfort (Graça et al 2018). Although it affects global climate regulation, it is of interest to study the carbon storage and sequestration by trees in urban areas since they are more vulnerable to climate change and where adaptation strategies should be developed (Amini Parsa et al 2019). Producing information about the distribution of this UES may contribute to enhanced climate justice even at the local scale (Srang-iam 2011).…”

“…Numerous studies have stressed the importance of quantifying urban ecosystem services (UES) at different scales and integrating them into decision-making processes (Ernstson et al 2010;Kremer et al 2016;Yang et al 2018). However, while the concept of UES represents a bridge between social and ecological systems within a city, little is known about the relationship between social systems and ecosystem services delivery at the local level (Amini Parsa et al 2019). This issue is increasingly addressed within the environmental justice (EJ) framework, given the recognition of urban green spaces (UGS) and their UES as local solutions to both local (e.g.…”

“…climate change) (Zhao and Sander. 2015;Amini Parsa et al 2019;Escobedo et al 2019) and the growing conviction that uneven exposure to environmental burdens and benefits among social groups affects city sustainability (Baró et al 2019). The concept of EJ was mainly developed in the USA in the 1970s, with a focus on the relationship between socioeconomic groups and the distribution of environmental burdens and benefits, assuming that disadvantaged communities are most exposed to environmental risks (Greenberg and Cidon.…”

Influence of the Urban Environment on the English Oak (Quercus Robur L.) Growth and Development

“…Urban forests are among the most effective conservation solutions for sustainable management of the environment, especially in urban areas, the basis of infrastructure that contributes to sustainable development and the urban environment planning (Kleiber et al 2019, Amini et al 2019. Experience in oak stands integrated into a natural green belt is essential to manage the urban environment.…”