Reviewing Ecosystem Services in Urban Plans

Abstract

In this chapter, we focus on one specific type of urban planning instrument, which has become increasingly common in the last years: urban climate adaptation plans. In these plans, ecosystem service knowledge is instrumental to propose strategies for ecosystem-based adaptation (EbA) to climate change. The analysis focuses on a sample of 22 plans in different European countries. Specifically, we aim at answering the following questions:What are the most common EbA measures found in urban climate adaptation plans? To what climate change impact do they aim to respond?In what parts of the planning documents are EbA measures present? How well and how consistently are they treated?