Working paper: Territorial potentials for green infrastructure

Green infrastructure (GI) is considered a benefit for territorial development because it provides multiple functions within the same spatial area. The underlying principle of GI is that the same area of land can offer many environmental, social, cultural and economic benefits at the same time, provided its ecosystems are in a healthy condition. However, valuable European ecosystems are being degraded by land fragmentation, urban expansion and the building of transport and energy infrastructures. This affects habitats and species and reduces the spatial and functional coherence of the landscape. Degraded ecosystems have lower species richness and are unable to offer the same services as healthy ecosystems.

This working paper is guided by the following questions:

• What are potential positive and negative effects of GI and ecosystem services on European territorial development?
• What does the geographical distribution of GI and ecosystem services look like in European cities and regions?
• How can European cities, regions and national governments be supported in making full use of their GI and ecosystem services development potential?