Rivers have always been a unique space in urban landscapes. Regrettably, the river-town relationship was disturbed in the 19th and at the beginning of the 20th century as industrial plants and districts were established at banks, which changed the urban structure. This resulted in degradation of riverscapes among other things. Today, attempts are made to revitalise the areas and use them for ecological, recreational, and other purposes. The paper presents an integrated approach to river valley revitalisation – demonstrated on the Skawinka river, flowing through Skawina, an industrial town in Poland. An integrated approach could indicate local development possibilities of river valley and thereby strengthen the competitiveness of the area. The study employed the Landscape and Hydromorphological Assessment of River Valleys Method, focusing on hydromorphological, landscape, and integrated factors. Proposing an integrated approach to the Skawinka river valley revitalisation presents a procedure that indicates possibilities for local development and thereby strengthening the competitiveness of this region. The guidelines for the revitalisation project for this river indicate that if the river was made generally accessible, it may become an important location for social and economic life. At the same time it might have a recreational and educational function.
Aim of the studyThis paper aims to present an integrated assessment of changes in a mountain river valley after a flood.
Material and methodsThe assessment followed the LandScape & HydroMorphological Assessment of River Valleys Method (LSHM Method). The method is intended for assessing and identifying valuable areas in river valleys and determining their development potential. The LSHM Method distinguishes three main groups of factors: hydromorphological (H), landscape (L), and integrated (I). All the factors are assessed using a 10-point scale.
Results and conclusionsLandscape and hydromorphological assessment with the LSHM Method facilitates identifying transformations of both the river channel and valley together with the areas interrelated with the river, and assessment of integrated river valley landscape. The integrated approach can be applied in the planning of repairs when restoring a river valley after a flood.
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