Abstract
Urban ecosystems can be conceptualized like living organisms supplied by material and energy flows. Urban metabolism accounts for the flows of materials, energy, resources, food, and people in cities, providing a framework for the study of the interactions between natural and human systems. The sustainable management of cities is based on the sustainable exploitation of natural capital stocks delivering a large set of ecosystem services vital for human economy and well-being. The interplay of environment, economy, and resources taking place within urban ecosystems can be explored and monitored over time using network theory and biophysical environmental accounting frameworks. These perspectives can help understanding how cities use raw and processed resources supplied from larger environmental systems. In this paper, we discuss the need for multicriteria assessment frameworks capable of capturing the complexity of city networks while accounting for matter and energy flows processed to build and maintain urban structures and functions and the production of goods and services. A multicriteria and system-based approach to environmental accounting for studying urban systems can inform city managers and policy makers, stimulating environmental policies based on the notion of “integrated wealth assessment” as the base for a productive and sustainable future.
