Urban Ecosystem Services (UES) Assessment within a 3D Virtual Environment: A Methodological Approach for the Larger Urban Zones (LUZ) of Naples, Italy

Maria Cerreta,Giuliano Poli,Roberta Mele

doi:10.3390/app10186205

Maria Cerreta, Giuliano Poli + Show 1 more

Open Access

https://doi.org/10.3390/app10186205

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Journal: Applied Sciences	Publication Date: Sep 7, 2020
Citations: 10	License type: CC BY 4.0

Affiliation: University of Naples Federico II

Abstract

The complexity of the urban spatial configuration, which affects human wellbeing and landscape functioning, necessitates data acquisition and three-dimensional (3D) visualisation to support effective decision-making processes. One of the main challenges in sustainability research is to conceive spatial models adapting to changes in scale and recalibrate the related indicators, depending on scale and data availability. From this perspective, the inclusion of the third dimension in the Urban Ecosystem Services (UES) identification and assessment can enhance the detail in which urban structure–function relationships can be studied. Moreover, improving the modelling and visualisation of 3D UES indicators can aid decision-makers in localising, analysing, assessing, and managing urban development strategies. The main goal of the proposed framework is concerned with evaluating, planning, and monitoring UES within a 3D virtual environment, in order to improve the visualisation of spatial relationships among services and to support site-specific planning choices.

Highlights

The new EU Biodiversity Strategy for 2030, “Bringing nature back into our lives”, has identified a comprehensive, systemic, and ambitious long-term plan for protecting nature and reversing the degradation of ecosystems, driving the recovery from the urban crisis, and helping to strengthen the resilience of cities against future crises
As the definition of Ecosystem Services (ES) is context-dependent, the concept identifies a boundary object for sustainability—namely, an idea embedding different points of view—which preserves a sense of continuity, engages different disciplines and non-scientists in shaping and achieving societal goals, and is instrumental in facilitating, implementing, and assessing transformative processes for more sustainable human–nature relations [3,4,5,6,7,8,9]
This paper aims to test a methodological approach that relates 3D urban modelling and visualisation to the Urban Ecosystem Services (UES) assessment, considering the Larger Urban Zones (LUZ) of Naples

Summary

Introduction

The new EU Biodiversity Strategy for 2030, “Bringing nature back into our lives”, has identified a comprehensive, systemic, and ambitious long-term plan for protecting nature and reversing the degradation of ecosystems, driving the recovery from the urban crisis, and helping to strengthen the resilience of cities against future crises. These recommendations aim to halt the loss of biodiversity and Ecosystem Services (ES) by 2020 and enable transformative change.

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Methods

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