Lines of research
Provisioning services
Material and energy resources
What we do: provisioning services refer to those resources that human beings obtain directly from green infrastructure, such as food, water or fuel. We are especially interested in exploring the agricultural potential of green infrastructure, as well as its capacity for rainwater harvesting and energy generation as a way to counteract social inequalities.
Featured result: research paper on the potential of green infrastructure to counteract rural depopulation in the Valencian Community.
Regulating services
Ecosystem maintenance
What we do: in a context of climate and land cover changes, green infrastructure regulating services provide an opportunity to help mitigate different environmental threats such as flooding, the Urban Heat Island effect or air pollution. We develop models and numerical tools to demonstrate the capacity of green infrastructure for stormwater management and thermal regulation.
Featured result: software patent to prevent flooding in urban catchments through the implementation of green infrastructure..
Supporting services
Diverse spaces for plants and animals
What we do: increasing urbanization in recent years has led to habitat fragmentation and biodiversity loss, which in turn alters ecological processes such as nutrient and water cycles. In this line we focus on analyzing the spatiotemporal patterns of landscape fragmentation to propose measures to improve ecological connectivity based on green infrastructure.
Featured result: research project on the role of green infrastructure to achieve “One Health” for animals, humans and the environment..
Cultural services
Non-material benefits for people
What we do: the combination of the frenetic lifestyle that governs today’s daily life with the effects of the COVID-19 pandemic has highlighted the importance of studying the social and emotional benefits of green infrastructure. Our goal is to investigate the relationship between proximity and accessibility to green areas and people’s physical and mental wellbeing.
Featured result: research paper on the benefits of living near green spaces for mental health during the COVID-19 pandemic..