Urban Ecological Infrastructure

An inclusive concept for the non-built urban environment

Bibliographic Data

ID19568929
AuthorsDaniel L Childers (0000-0003-3904-0803, Arizona State University), Paul Bois (0000-0001-5786-5484, Ecole Nationale du Génie de l'Eau et de l'Environnement de Strasbourg (ENGEES)), Hilairy E Hartnett (0000-0003-0736-7844, Arizona State University), Timon Mcphearson (0000-0002-9499-0791, New School), Geneviève S Metson (0000-0002-8081-2126, Linköping University), Christopher A Sanchez (0000-0003-4052-6907, Arizona State University)
EditorsDonald R Zak, Jessica J Hellmann (0000-0002-4961-0841)
Year2019
Volume7
Publication date2019-01-01
Peer ReviewedYes
Open AccessYes
TypeARTICLE
VenueElementa Science of the Anthropocene (JOURNAL)
Journal identifiersISSN: 2325-1026 • E-ISSN: 2325-1026
PublisherUniversity of California Press (PUBLISHER • US)
DOI10.1525/elementa.385
OpenAlexW2985397634
LanguageEN
Citations received20
References cited54

It is likely that half of the urban areas that will exist in 2050 have not yet been designed and built. This provides tremendous opportunities for enhancing urban sustainability, and using “nature in cities” is critical to more resilient solutions to urban challenges. Terms for “urban nature” include Green Infrastructure (GI), Green-Blue Infrastructure (GBI), Urban Green Space (UGS), and Nature-Based Solutions (NBS). These terms, and the concepts they represent, are incomplete because they tend to reduce the importance of non-terrestrial ecological features in cities. We argue that the concept of Urban Ecological Infrastructure (UEI), which came from a 2013 forum held in Beijing and from several subsequent 2017 publications, is a more inclusive alternative. In this paper we refine the 2013 definition of UEI and link the concept more directly to urban ecosystem services. In our refined definition, UEI comprises all parts of a city that support ecological structures and functions, as well as the ecosystem services provided by UEI that directly affect human outcomes and wellbeing. UEI often includes aspects of the built environment, and we discuss examples of this “hybrid infrastructure”. We distinguish terrestrial, aquatic, and wetland UEI because each type provides different ecosystem services. We present several examples of both “accidental” UEI and UEI that was explicitly designed and managed, with an emphasis on wetland UEI because these ecotonal ecosystems are uniquely both terrestrial and aquatic. We show how both accidental and planned UEI produces unexpected ecosystem services, which justifies recognizing and maintaining both purposeful and serendipitous types of UEI in cities. Finally, we posit that by incorporating both “ecological” and “infrastructure”, UEI also helps to bridge urban scientists and urban practitioners in a more transdisciplinary partnership to build more resilient and sustainable cities

Biology · Business · Computer security · Critical infrastructure · Ecosystem · Ecosystem services · Environmental planning · Environmental resource management · Geography · Green infrastructure · Sustainability · Urban ecosystem · Urban planning · Computer Science · Environmental Science · Land Use and Ecosystem Services · Urban Green Space and Health · Urban Heat Island Mitigation · Ecology

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