Cultural ecosystem services of urban green space for human well-being: A literature review based on bibliometrics and knowledge mapping analysis

Urban green spaces are key areas where residents interact with and experience the natural environment. These spaces provide a broad range of ecosystem services, including non-material benefits, specifically the cultural ecosystem services (UG-CES), that contribute to human well-being. Ecosystem services are important for human well-being, particularly in promoting health and overall welfare. CES, as a critical category of ecosystem services, is closely linked to human health. Through a systematic review of the expanding body of literature on UG-CES, three primary areas were identified: UG-CES valuation; supply and demand dynamics; and the relationship between UG-CES and human well-being. The research progress and limitations of these three domains are summarized. Finally, a framework highlighting four topics are proposed, i.e.: enhancing UG-CES research associated with design & planning and management practices; spatial (explicitly optimizing the supply-demand match of UG-CES); exploring the human well-being promoting mechanism of UG-CES; and conducting scenario-based simulations to understand the dynamics of UG-CES. This framework forms the context into which future UG-CES research for human well-being could be placed. It is hoped that it would be helpful for better understanding the importance of UG-CES and the necessity of incorporating UG-CES into urban greenspace planning and management practices for promoting human well-being.