An Analysis of Ecosystem Services for the Design of a Green Infrastructure in the Metropolitan Area of Seville

Abstract

The notion of green infrastructure has been consolidated in recent years as a powerful conceptual and methodological tool for environmental improvement in urban and metropolitan areas. Two of its basic principles are, on the one hand, the physical and functional interconnection of green spaces and natural areas present in the territory, and on the other, the promotion of ecosystem services in the urban and peri-urban environment. Both objectives represent a new perspective for the planning of large urban agglomerations and invite us to rethink our way of understanding and planning the metropolitan open space. This paper aims to provide some elements for reflection on this subject, based on the analysis of the provision of ecosystem services and the mapping of environmental multifunctionality in the Seville metropolitan area. The calculation of a set of indicators for regulation, provision, cultural and nature conservation-related services, together with the estimation of a synthetic multifunctionality index for the metropolitan open space, will allow us to assess the potential and limitations of the green infrastructure concept regarding its application at a metropolitan scale.