587 / 2019-03-01 04:44:15

Indicator Framework for the Assessment of Multifunctional Green Infrastructure (AMGI) Exemplified in an European City

urban green space; ecological value; ecological cost; management mode

After analyzing three prominent indicator frameworks for the assessment of Ecosystem Services and GI implementation across Europe, we get an integrative database of GI functional indicators, accounting for their reflected dimensions on ecology, socio-economy, socio-culture, and human health.

Based on this, we propose an indicator pool for AMGI, which is pretty informative to be used at an early stage of GI plans to get broad figures and weigh pros and cons. Our indicator-based framework goes one step further, by providing the potential spatial extent, data availability, proved methods and data resources. Both the research scientists and policymakers could refer to our indicator-based framework to figure out the relationships among benefit groups and ESS provided by GI, and then clarify in which direction their GI assessment might steer on or drive for potentially. One latent novelty is that we first point out the significance to analyze an indicator framework as such before conducting an assessment in the respective contexts.

Building upon this strength, we exemplified the indicator selection in one European city. We recognize that the necessity to handle AMGI at multiple spatial scales thus supporting the multifunctionality of GI as the diversity of the GI concept. From a relatively coarse scale to finer scale, we address the significance of employing datasets at multiple spatial scales for AMGI.