The urban ecosystem services index as a new indicator for sustainable urban planning and human well-being in cities

Nowadays, more and more people appreciate the presence of green areas in cities. These spaces have many functions, including ecological, social, and cultural ones. Urban ecosystems, understood in this article as areas of a natural character, are a very important element of the landscape structure of urban areas. Their existence makes it possible to live in cities. Urban ecosystems have been analyzed using a variety of methods in terms of their type and quantity, as well as the ecosystem services they provide. However, it is useful to complement these studies by assessing which urban ecosystems provide the most ecosystem services. Therefore, the purpose of this study is to assess the ecosystem services provided by urban ecosystems for sustainable urban planning but using a novel approach. A new Urban Ecosystem Services (IUES) indicator has been developed for this assessment. It reports on the intensity of ecosystem services provided. The test area for the application of this indicator was the largest cities in Poland, with a particular focus on the Silesian Metropolis (GZM). The Silesian Metropolis is the most anthropogenically changed area in Poland due to the mining activities occurring there since the 18th century. Thus, it is a good example for checking whether such areas have ecological value and what that value is. In this study, special emphasis was placed on the identification of urban ecosystem services and their effectiveness. It was concluded that urban ecosystems are essential to cities and should make up a significant percentage of their land area. They provide essential ecological services to urban residents, and their presence provides a higher standard of living in anthropogenically altered areas.