**About the Editors**

**Alessio Russo** is Senior Lecturer and Academic Course Leader in the Master of Landscape Architecture at the University of Gloucestershire, Cheltenham, United Kingdom. Before joining the University of Gloucestershire, he worked in Russia as an Associate Professor at RUDN University in Moscow and Professor and Head of Laboratory of Urban and Landscape Design at Far Eastern Federal University in Vladivostok. He holds a Bachelor in Science in Plant Production from the University of Naples, Post-Graduate Specialization in Healing Garden Design from the University of Milan, and Master in Science in Landscape Design and Planning from the University of Pisa. He received his Ph.D. in Urban Forestry from the University of Bologna. Outside of academia, Dr. Russo has worked as a Landscape Architect in the United Kingdom, Italy, and the United Arab Emirates, dealing with sustainable design and planning. He is a member of the International Scientific Committee on Cultural Landscapes ICOMOS-IFLA, International Federation of Landscape Architects (IFLA) Advisory Circle, and International Union for Conservation of Nature Commission on Ecosystem Management.

**Giuseppe T. Cirella** is Professor of Human Geography at the Faculty of Economics, University of Gdansk, Sopot, Poland. He received his Ph.D. in Environmental Engineering (specialization: Sustainability) from Griffith University, Australia. He is the founder of the Polo Centre of Sustainability and is Director and Head of Research. He has acted as a principal investigator and coordinator in a number of international projects and is a reviewer and member of the editorial board of several reputed international journals on sustainability and the environment. He has extensive interdisciplinary and cross-cultural experience in socioeconomics as well as expertise in landscape architecture, urban planning, and societal development.

#### **Preface to "Urban Ecosystem Services"**

This book is inspired by the two decades of exploratory urban research the two editors have ensued, specifically, sustainability and ecosystem services. In particular, the editors believe that ecosystem services should not be underestimated by those involved in city policy and the design and planning of urban environments. We live in an era of societal and environmental issues and challenges that have shaped the way we interact with nature. Homo sapiens have evolved jestingly into "Homo urbanus", where people live in urbanised areas and can regularly spend up to 90% of their time indoors with potential negative impacts on mental health and wellbeing. There are only nine years left to achieve the United Nations Sustainable Development Goals in which several studies point out that the benefits of incorporating ecosystem services into urban design and planning are fundamental.

To this end, this book contains 13 thoroughly refereed contributions published within the Special Issue "Urban Ecosystem Services". The contributions underscore key ecosystem service benefits that complement the nutrient cycle, soil formation, habitat provision and biodiversity—aiding in the provision, regulation and cultural services of the human-nature relationship. Best practices in urban greening interrelates the ecological, technological, societal and economic by combining stakeholder values and opinions into action. This book is intended for students, researchers and practitioners who wish to delve deeper and expand their knowledge with trending state-of-the-art research on urban ecosystem services. It is the first publication in the "Urban Ecosystem Services" series and exemplifies the developing readership and importance of the topic for contemporary urban designers, landscape architects and urban futurists.

> **Alessio Russo, Giuseppe T. Cirella** *Editors*

*Editorial*
