Photo: Bård Bredesen, Agency of Urban Environment, City of Oslo
AT A GLANCE Project Information
Project Title: Openness: operationalisation of natural capital and ecosystem services
www.openness-project.eu
Case study: valuation of urban ecosystem services in Oslo
www.openness-project.eu/node/78
Project Objective: The OSLOpenNESS case study aims to translate the concepts of natural capital (NC) and ecosystem services (ES) into operational examples. We conduct integrated assessment and valuation of urban ES, demonstrating how several different approaches can support urban management and decision-making in Oslo. The case study also scrutinises the potential and limitations of the concepts of ES and NC in an urban and Norwegian context
Project Duration and Timing: 2012-2017
more difficult to value than recreation, as are regulating characteristics such as green spaces’ absorption of flood water and pollution, and their creation of pleasurable microclimates. In 2015- 2016 the Norwegian team will be conducting more detailed studies that will generate more accurate and reliable ecosystem service values for specific locations. Pollination in the city and the support
that urban nature can provide for beekeepers and wild bees are being surveyed. Another objective is to assess the value of trees that, due to limited light in Norwegian terrain, are often felled due to neighbour disputes or to improve views. “We’re going to concentrate on city trees along roads and gardens,
and provide more detailed
estimates of their value at street level for residents and as habitat for biodiversity,” says Barton. The project is also helping develop the municipality’s method for assessing the compensation value of city trees used to set fines for illegal felling. Researchers are also collaborating
with Oslo Municipality in developing the ecosystem services approaches in existing tools for municipal planning and management.
The ‘blue-green
factor’ (BGF) is a proposal for scoring properties’ green and blue structures in terms of how important they are for managing surface water. The BGF can
www.projectsmagazine.eu.com
be used to set minimum targets for property developers in different parts of the city, OSLOpenNESS is developing the BGF to account for other ecosystem services such
as
pollination and recreation. “It’s important that our work is policy
or decision relevant,” summarises Barton. “Despite extensive mapping of ecosystem services, projects often struggle to attain the reliability and accuracy required to make ecosystem service values relevant for municipal planning. Guided
by planners and
communicators in Oslo Municipality, our emphasis has been on explaining the concepts in Norwegian, raising awareness through rapid economic appraisal of the most significant ecosystem services, and then focusing research efforts on planning tools where valuation can make a difference.” Reinvang contemplates the concept
of the modern city embedded in natural surroundings. “I believe a city and nature are not two different things. It is a symbiosis, where a sensitive and clever interaction between man, nature and the things we build is what enables a good and also effective city. It is a place for life and to live. It is time to let nature back into the city and civilisation, and that is what OSLOpenNESS is about – if you ask me.”
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Project Funding: EU FP7 grant agreement no. 308428 and Research Council of Norway grant agreement no. 225015/E10
Project Partners: The case study is a cooperation between the Norwegian Institute for Nature Research, a non-profit research foundation, and Vista Analyse A/S, a small enterprise and the City of Oslo, Agency of Urban Environment
CONTACTS
David N. Barton (NINA) David is a senior research scientist who specialises in the economics of ecosystem services and is case study coordinator. Tel: +47 924 42 111 Email:
david.barton@
nina.no
Rasmus Reinvang (Vista Analyse A/S) Rasmus specialises in environmental policy and urban development Tel: +47 920 32 515 Email:
rasmus.reinvang@
vista-analyse.no
Tove M. Dyblie Tove is programme coordinator of Cities of the Future Programme, City of Oslo Tel: +47 90910890 Email:
tove.dyblie@bym.oslo.kommune.no
OSLOpenNESS case study:
www.openness-project.eu/node/78
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