Original ArticleIndicators for quantitative evaluation of the social services function of urban greenbelt systems: A case study of shenzhen, China

- A quantitative multi-indicators system was established to evaluate the social services function of urban greenbelts.
- We built the evaluation frame by investigating relationship between products and services.
- The essential patches are mainly situated in public parks and other greenbelts.
- The urban greenbelt service shows a high potential for social integration.
- Policy implication are proposed with regard to guidelines on which government and public value and protect greenbelts.

Existing ecological service assessments of urban green space have concentrated on natural environment, while research on the social services function remains underexplored. Taking Shenzhen as an example, this study starts with integrating the function of green space system with human needs. An indicator assessment technique that combines spatialization, rasterization and detailed of land ecological assessment was established with regard to the benefits of landscape aesthetics, function of disaster prevention and mitigation, and accessibility of park greenbelts. The results show that Shenzhen has very high recreational and cultural value, as the areas above medium level account for 66% of the city's land area, and the recreational and cultural services are worth approximately 40.8million Yuan. Forest parks and comprehensive parks are important places to carry out social service function, particularly the disaster prevention and mitigation function, and the green spaces for disaster prevention and mitigation can be found in most of the disaster-prone areas. The accessibility of service shows a certain level of centrality, since the highest grade is concentrated in the central Bao'an, central Longgang, and the central part of the city. Based on the GIS overlay analysis, this study recognizes the distribution of essential patches, and constructs the structure of essential patches in urban green greenbelt systems by a combination of point, line, and surface elements. It shows the services of the Shenzhen greenbelt system have high potential for social integration, and this study also discusses the policy implication for macro decision-making. The assessment results objectively reflect multiple social services of the green space system in this region and provide a reference for the management, planning and construction of urban ecology in similar cities.