Integrated Ecological Framework of Urban Green Spaces

Background: Urban Green Spaces (UGS) are vital for urban sustainability, providing ecological, environmental, and social benefits. Growing urbanisation, climate change, and biodiversity loss highlight the need for better integration of ecological principles into planning. However, existing approaches are fragmented and poorly capture hierarchical relationships between urban form, ecological processes, and ecosystem outcomes. Methods: This review synthesises interdisciplinary research from urban ecology, landscape ecology, urban forestry, ecosystem services, and spatial planning. It introduces the Integrated Ecological Framework of Urban Green Spaces (IEF–UGS), structured into six levels: urban morphology, green infrastructure, ecological processes, ecological functions, ecosystem services, and urban resilience. Results: Urban morphology is identified as the key structural driver shaping ecological functioning via habitat configuration, connectivity, hydrology, and microclimate. Green infrastructure forms the spatial basis for ecological processes, which generate functions supporting ecosystem services and resilience. The framework clarifies causal links across levels and resolves conceptual inconsistencies in prior research. Conclusions: IEF–UGS offers both theoretical and practical value, supporting ecological assessment, green infrastructure planning, urban forest management, and climate adaptation. It enables integrated indicators and improves evidence-based decision-making, providing a robust foundation for future research on sustainable urban systems.