Incorporating ecosystem services into urban planning

Ecosystem services are environmental and social services that are produced by ecosystems through intricate interactions between organisms and the environment and that humans benefit from.

Two major reports have been published by the Stockholm County Council addressing ecosystem services. These are Svaga Samband i Stockholmsregionens Gröna Kilar (2012) and "Att planera för ekosystemtjänster i en växande Stockholmsregion" (2013).

Both reports were developed by the Stockholm Resilience Centre (SRC) together with its partner the Beijer Institute for Ecological Economics in collaboration with the Office for Regional Growth, Environment and Planning (TMR) at the Stockholm County Council. The reports seek to achieve a shared vision for how the unique assets and strengths of the Stockholm region can best be managed and developed.

TMR works on a broad spectrum of regional planning issues, producing documentation, forecasts and statistics, and dealing with issues such as land use, housing, the environment, nature conservation, energy, the archipelago, integration, social perspectives and international cooperation.

In the first report, researchers Johan Colding, Sara Borgström, Stephan Barthel, Åsa Gren and Erik Andersson served as scientific advisors and contributors. The report includes perspectives on current knowledge, relevant legislation, best practices and finance mechanisms. The report was compiled by Ekologigruppen and TMR with inputs on the critical role of ecosystem services by SRC researchers.

The second report was written by Johan Colding, Lars Marcus, Stephan Barthel, Åsa Gren and Erik Andersson. It clarifies the role of ecosystem services building resilience in the Stockholm region. Its primary purpose is to provide an overview of existing research on ecosystem services and to illustrate policy directions for resilience adaptability and urban transformation using examples from local, national and international contexts.