Viona Putri Wijaya 13301810030 Business Economics 6A

Article Review
Growing number of people living in cities makes it important to address attention on
urban ecosystems as it has a dependent relationship in between. However, in fact, the attention
paid to urban ecosystems is considered low, and most research has only put focus on one
ecosystem service, as for instance, monetary values tend to be more discussed than
non-economic value. This applies for insurance value resulting from contribution of both urban
ecosystems and green infrastructure towards city’s resiliency. Besides, knowledge to understand
the challenges in valuing urban ecosystems is still minimal due to the existence of
heterogeneity, complexity, and disintegration. Hence, Baggethun and Barton (2012) through the
article titled Ecological Economics tries to discuss the knowledge gaps by classifying and making
valuation of ecosystem services for urban planning.
Classifying urban ecosystem services was the first step of analysis taken, particularly a
total of 11 ecosystem services in urban areas with explanation of functions and components.
Despite ecosystem services, its disservices were also discussed. Then, the paper classifies values
of urban ecosystem services (economic and non economic), specifically on how they can be
measured and can be used as information in urban planning. Additionally, the article also
discussed the limitation and challenges from valuation of urban ecosystems. Several conclusions
are obtained from the article, such as positive impacts from urban ecosystem services on the
variable of life quality in cities has been proven by evidence, losing ecosystems may lead to
economic cost in the long run and other severely impacted factors, and lastly, it is indeed a
knowledge asymmetries to comprehend about certain type of values.
Referring to a previous statement about valuation of urban ecosystem service requires a
quantifiable measurement, one of the key lessons in the article by Watkins, M.H. & Griffith, C.A.
(Eds.). (2015) (UGEC 116) also states that, to evaluate ecosystems services and its benefit in
urban areas should be based on quantitative data of ecological functions and processes. Hence,
the valuation process on ecosystem services should rely on the measurable data.