Citation: Marques, A.L.; Alvim,
A.T.B.; Schröder, J. Ecosystem
Services and Urban Planning: A
Review of the Contribution of the
Concept to Adaptation in Urban
Areas. Sustainability 2022, 14, 2391.
https://doi.org/10.3390/su14042391
Academic Editor: Brian Deal
Received: 23 December 2021
Accepted: 15 February 2022
Published: 19 February 2022
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sustainability
Review
Ecosystem Services and Urban Planning: A Review of the
Contribution of the Concept to Adaptation in Urban Areas
Andresa Ledo Marques
1,2,
* , Angélica Tanus Benatti Alvim
1
and Jörg Schröder
2
1
Graduate Program in Architecture and Urbanism, School of Architecture and Urbanism, Mackenzie
Presbyterian University, Sao Paulo 01302-907, Brazil; angelica.alvim@mackenzie.br
2
Institute of Urban Design and Planning, Leibniz Universität Hannover, 30419 Hannover, Germany;
schroeder@staedtebau.uni-hannover.de
* Correspondence: andresa.ledo@staedtebau.uni-hannover.de or andresaledo.marques@mackenzista.com.br;
Tel.: +55-11-2114-8792
Abstract: The effects of climate change have a negative impact on urban areas and projections indicate
these impacts will worsen in the coming years. In this context, cities need to adapt to the adverse
effects of climate change. Potential solutions proposed in the literature for this adaptation include
the use of Ecosystem Services. However, of the large volume of publications, few articles provide a
structured analysis of the contribution and use of the concept in urban planning and adaptation to
climate change. The objective of the present study was to review the literature on the subject and
provide a structured analysis of the state of the art, main authors, countries, and references addressing
the topic, together with key concepts emerging from this research, and challenges for future studies.
Thus, a hybrid method of bibliometric analysis and in-depth reading of key articles held on the Web
of Science electronic database was applied. The results revealed a growing scientific interest in the
subject, a trend of greater interdisciplinarity in research, use of different evaluation methods, both
economic and non-economic, and a systemic perspective that approaches sustainability not only as
an environmental problem, but as a complex phenomenon.
Keywords: ecosystem services; climate change adaptation; urban planning; urban ecology
1. Introduction
1.1. Research Problem and Objective
Climate change, a global phenomenon strongly influenced by human activity, neg-
atively impacts urban environments, placing cities front and center of discussions on
adaptation to climate change. The relevance of this topic lies in the alarming projections of
the adverse effects of climate change, with urban environments at particularly high risk and
vulnerability given the large contingent of the population that resides in urban areas. In
2018, 55% of the world’s population lived in cities and, according to projections, two-thirds
of the world’s population will be urban by 2050 [1]. Although accurately determining the
adverse effects of climate change on the urban environment is fraught with uncertainty,
some of the main expected effects include: a general increase in sea level, frequency of
storms and extreme precipitation events, heat stress and heat islands, floods, landslides,
droughts, pollution, water shortages, wildfires, infections, and parasitic diseases [2,3].
This scenario calls for adaptation measures in urban environments, prompting numer-
ous research approaches examining the issue. As part of the quest for solutions promoting
adaptation of cities to climate change, there is growing interest from professionals and
researchers in exploiting the benefits of nature as a valid approach for urban planning and,
in this context, many authors cite the concept of Ecosystem Services (ESs) [4–8].
Seminal literature reviews, such as those by Demuzere et al. [9] and Salmond et al. [10],
systematized ES benefits for climate change adaptation in urban areas. Other authors
Sustainability 2022, 14, 2391. https://doi.org/10.3390/su14042391 https://www.mdpi.com/journal/sustainability