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Evaluating impacts of researchers to enable sustainability transition: using urban ecosystem service literature as an exemplary field

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  • Herlin Chien

    (National Pingtung University of Science and Technology
    United Nations University)

Abstract

The increasing stress of urbanization on ecosystem services has attracted the attention of UN SDG 11 on sustainable cities while alerting other policymakers at the regional and municipality levels. However, the ways in which the scientific community can support or propel cities to make critical future sustainability transitions have remained unclear. To provide partial answers, this study proposed to systematically analyze impacts of researchers in the existing urban ecosystem service (UES) literature as an exemplary field. Methodologically this study first designed a transition management scale and then adopted the scale to assess the existing roles of researchers played within the UES literature. A total of 203 UES journal articles up to 2018 were extracted from two databases as the exemplified literature, and the evaluation process was designed to be two-tiered. First tier of the analysis showed which cities around the world received the most scholarly attention to investigate the issue of urban ecosystem service. The second tier of the evaluation specifically aimed to uncover impacts of researchers to promote process-oriented approach rather than knowledge-first approach to enable urban transition. Asides from the general contribution, four specific impacts of researchers were evaluated: (1) the ability to define the problem of sustainability with other stakeholders (ownership); (2) willingness to negotiate what is sustainable in dialogues (sustainability); (3) capability to balance power dynamics to facilitate societal learning space (power); and (4) interest in making real-world change (action). The overall analysis first revealed the general lack of UES researchers in geographic areas that are urbanizing faster such as Asia and Africa. Then, the work identified two significant deficiencies in impacts of UES researchers to enable urban transition. One deficiency lies in how only 3% of the identified UES studies provided policy recommendations or action to secure science–policy linkage. The other missing part is the comparatively low number of solution-oriented researches with lowest mean value of action among the four variables. In other words, there is currently a shortage of researchers in UES literature to solve the unsustainability of real-world problems with non-academic stakeholders and local communities. The study concluded by arguing that scientists can contribute more to urban sustainability transition if they can be encouraged to play more roles to explore not only what the knowledge “is” but also what “ought to be” and “can be” by engaging in inter-sectoral collaboration and non-scientists.

Suggested Citation

  • Herlin Chien, 2022. "Evaluating impacts of researchers to enable sustainability transition: using urban ecosystem service literature as an exemplary field," Environment, Development and Sustainability: A Multidisciplinary Approach to the Theory and Practice of Sustainable Development, Springer, vol. 24(2), pages 2345-2361, February.
    • Handle: RePEc:spr:endesu:v:24:y:2022:i:2:d:10.1007_s10668-021-01536-4
    DOI: 10.1007/s10668-021-01536-4
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