The Value of Valuing: Recognising the Benefits of the Urban Forest

This book is a collaborative effort among academics and practitioners who have developed an appreciation for the value of trees in cities. Its focus is on urban “green infrastructure” (GI) – the interconnected web of vegetated spaces, ranging from street trees and private gardens to neighbourhood parks and peri-urban forests, which provide essential ecosystem services in densely populated areas. The concept of green infrastructure embodies the view that biotic systems are just as vital to the functioning of a modern city as any other type of infrastructure, be it roads, water, sewage, power, or communication. The challenge of ensuring that these ecosystem services are indeed delivered, and that they may be enjoyed by the population in an equitable and sustainable way, is a multidimensional undertaking. This challenge requires a set of tools for coping with the ecological, social and cultural, as well as economic dynamics that can determine success or failure in a landscape mainly populated by human actors. And it requires an understanding of how the totality of these environmental and social factors can be integrated in better policy and in more effective “governance” of urban green infrastructure. This chapter convey the findings and recommendations of one working group that was established within the framework of the European COST Action FP1204 GreenInUrbs, whose mandate is to develop a “green infrastructure approach, linking environmental with social aspects in studying and managing urban forests.