Ecosystem services-based planning and management of multifamily residential areas: bridging practitioners' approaches and residents' preferences

This paper addresses the realm of planning and managing greenery in multifamily residential areas. We uncover parallels between practitioners' approaches, residents' preferences, and the spatial attributes of residential areas that influence the supply of ecosystem services (ES). We focus on cultural ecosystem services (CES), the most directly experienced by urban inhabitants. Employing a multi-method approach encompassing a workshop for practitioners, a discrete choice experiment (DCE)-based survey of urban residents, and mapping of greenery attributes in Poznań (Poland). Our study underscores the importance of shaping conditions that facilitate bundled regulating and cultural ES. Practitioners recognise the role of greenery in the production of ES. This resonates with residents' preferences for predominantly green neighbourhoods, with the dominance of trees and some facilities for active recreation. Mismatches between opting for well-maintained greenery with some benches while neither the level of maintenance nor facilities for passive recreation are crucial for residents. Ultimately, we identify four types of multifamily residential areas reflecting varying degrees of resident preferences. These findings offer valuable information for the future development of multifamily residential areas, helping to design urban green spaces that respond to values and needs and, consequently, to increase the provision of cultural ecosystem services and support the regulating ones.