In recent years, the European Union has demonstrated an increasing commitment to integrating nature into cities through flagship policies such as the EU Biodiversity Strategy for 2030 and the recently proposed Nature Restoration Law. These initiatives aim to halt biodiversity loss, enhance green infrastructure, and deliver climate adaptation across Europe’s urban landscapes. With Brussels itself at the heart of these discussions—hosting the institutions, think tanks, and NGOs that shape the EU’s green agenda—the role of urban green spaces is more relevant than ever.
Yet while the legislative focus often emphasizes biodiversity and climate resilience, a broader question remains largely underexplored: what do urban green spaces really provide to cities and their inhabitants? To answer this, we must look beyond the visible greenery and examine the ecosystem services (ESS) they deliver—benefits that are often overlooked in planning and policy debates.
What Are Ecosystem Services (ESS)?
Ecosystem Services refer to the multiple benefits that natural and semi-natural ecosystems provide to people. According to the Millennium Ecosystem Assessment (2005), these are typically grouped into four key categories:
Provisioning Services – tangible goods like food and water. In cities, examples include community gardens or foraging landscapes.
Regulating Services – such as temperature moderation, air purification, stormwater management, and carbon sequestration.
Cultural Services – non-material benefits like mental well-being, recreation, and social cohesion.
Supporting Services – underpinning all others, including soil formation, pollination, and nutrient cycling.
Urban green spaces—whether large parks, pocket gardens, green roofs, or vegetated streetscapes—contribute to all of these in diverse ways. A systematic review by Gómez-Baggethun & Barton (2013) found that urban green infrastructure plays a vital role in regulating urban microclimates, improving air and water quality, and providing psychological benefits.
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