Reviewing designed plant communities’ potential for optimizing the performance of urban nature-based solutions

Abstract

Urban nature-based solutions (NbS) can help to address larger societal challenges, such as climate adaptation and mitigation, by delivering multiple ecosystem services simultaneously. As multifunctional vegetation is a prerequisite for many types of NbS, finding methods for cost-effective planting design and vegetation management is vital for optimizing urban NbS performance. Designed Plant Communities (DPC) is a framework for planting design and vegetation management that endeavors to combine high aesthetic and biodiversity values with low management costs through species-rich vegetation. In this literature review, we elaborate on the design and management objectives and performance goals for vegetation in the DPC-framework and assess how scientific evidence provided by global DPC-research contributes to fulfilling four NbS criteria. This scoping review of 51 research papers shows that the DPC framework and its related evidence base align with the NbS criteria. Despite covering a large variety of vegetation types, geographical locations and NbS unit types, current DPC research gives concrete and reliable evidence on only a few research topics. The knowledge gaps on urban vegetation design and management identified in this review indicate that improving vegetated NbS performance will require further research into plant ecology and the specific ecosystem services provided by plants. Enhancing vegetated NbS performance will additionally require translating research into evidence-based planting design and vegetation management guidelines to facilitate the long-term development of reliable high-performing multifunctional urban vegetation.