Ecosystem Services and the City
Mapping, valuation and scenario development for resilient and sustainable spatial planning
Marthe Laura Derkzen
Promoter: Prof. Dr. Peter Verburg
PhD period: May 2012 – April 2016
Inner-city deterioration, socioeconomic inequality, noise and air pollution, and a lack of healthy, liveable urban
spaces are typical city problems. Urban ecosystems provide benefits to people and can help a great deal in
preserving and improving the quality of life. This PhD research proposes to fill current research gaps by developing
and applying methods for the assessment of urban ecosystem services, using Rotterdam as a case study. Mapping,
valuation and scenarios can inform urban planning decisions aimed at allocating services, in order to come up with
solutions for sustainable and resilient cities that guarantee a high quality of life.
Knowledge gathering
1. Mapping ecosystem services: demand and supply
Objective: Develop and apply methods to determine the spatial distribution of demand and supply of urban ES
to help decisions on service allocation
Method: Create a land cover classification index for Rotterdam and determine the ES provided by each class,
map this supply. Demand will be mapped based on demographic data and literature
2. The social value of urban ecosystem services
Objective: Apply different methods to quantify the social values attached to ecosystem services in urban
environments to create input for decision-making
Method: Survey, possibly in-depth interview and focus groups, images for preferences and ranking
Application
3. Designing and allocating ecosystem services for Rotterdam
Objective: Determine the optimal mix of ecosystem services in urban environments
Method: Use the knowledge from Chapter 1 and 2 to assess which ES need to be allocated where in Rotterdam
and how to design these optimally (incl. monetary valuation e.g. market alternatives)
4. Scenarios for a sustainable and resilient city of the future
Objective: Evaluate alternative scenarios of future city development in terms of possibilities to supply the
demand for ecosystem services for implementation in urban planning policies
Method: Use scenarios to assess the role ES can play in adapting to future changes in Rotterdam
Synergy
5. Render multiple benefits from adaptation measures in Rotterdam
Objective: Create synergies between adaptation measures and other ecosystem services in order to render
multiple benefits that enhance the quality of life in Rotterdam
Method: Costs and benefits analysis to determine adaptation measures, evaluate which other ES can be
integrated in these measures and propose alternative design structures