Knowledge Mapping of Cultural Ecosystem Services Applied on Blue-Green Infrastructure—A Scientometric Review with CiteSpace

Abstract

Urban blue-green infrastructure (BGI) not only serves an ecological purpose but also contributes to the physical and psychological well-being of residents by providing cultural ecosystem services (CES), which are the nonmaterial benefits people obtain from ecosystems through spiritual enrichment, cognitive development, reflection, recreation, and aesthetic experiences. CES is a rising BGI research and management subject, with a growing number of papers in recent years. To identify and differentiate the latest research on the development of features based on cultural ecosystem services within blue-green infrastructure, we employed CiteSpace bibliometric methodologies to analyze pertinent papers for focusing on the developmental processes and key research areas. The publishing trend, research clusters, highly cited literature, research history, research frontiers and hot areas, and high-frequency and emerging keywords were studied and assessed after reviewing 14,344 relevant papers by CiteSpace software 6.3.1 from Web of Science. The standard domains concerned, according to the keyword visualization and high-value references, are implemented cultural ecosystem services assessment combined with natural-based solutions in green spaces, urban regions, residential areas, and sustainable development. In conclusion, the following recommendations are made: (1) When urban decision-makers incorporate the perspective of cultural ecosystem services into the strategic formulation of BGI, a broader spectrum of urban BGI types should be taken into account; (2) all categories of CES should be considered; (3) research on the application of cultural ecosystem services in urban blue-green infrastructure should be more effectively and flexibly integrated into urban governance; and (4) CES should be strategically employed to improve the physical health and psychological well-being of urban residents.