Urban river design and aesthetics: a river restoration case study from the UK

Prior, Jonathan

doi:10.1080/13574809.2016.1187557

Cited by 23 publications

(8 citation statements)

References 23 publications

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“…On the other hand, urban river management projects tend to emphasize the hydro‐engineering function of streamflow management and flood prevention (Kiedrzyńska, Kiedrzyński, & Zalewski, 2015). When multiple uses of urban streams are considered in stream management, urban streams can provide aesthetic, horticultural, and public health functions for citizens (Cengiz, 2013; Prior, 2016). Most stream restoration projects, however, have focused on ecological topics such as the revitalization of wildlife habitat and aquatic ecosystems.…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Residents' perception of flood risk and urban stream restoration using multi‐criteria decision analysis

Hong

Chang

2020

River Research & Apps

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This research examines how individual preferences for the major functions of stream restoration processes are associated with flood prevention and risk mitigation in Johnson Creek of Portland, Oregon, USA. We first reviewed a set of results from an analytical hierarchy process (AHP) model to rank the major stream restoration functions and compared citizens' preferences for "flood prevention" using ordinary least squares regression. Our results show that the perceptions and interests of citizens may be centred on the inconvenience of everyday life arising from the previous flood events. Residents in the highly urbanized downstream regions showed a higher sensitivity to flooding than those living in the upper regions of the watershed. Community participation and annual incomes are positively related to flood risk perception in more developed downstream regions, while ecological or development goals associated with property protection are positively associated with higher flood risk perception in the less developed upper regions. Our findings of citizen perceptions can be adopted to help local government leaders and households mitigate flood risk while also achieving multiple benefits from stream restoration projects.

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Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Residents' perception of flood risk and urban stream restoration using multi‐criteria decision analysis

Hong

Chang

2020

River Research & Apps

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“…Those living on adjacent streets, such as Conway Road, were worried that open water might increase the local rat population and provide a breeding ground for 'mosquitoes and flies', becoming 'smelly in hot weather'. Other residents suggested 'people will throw litter in the water' if the brook appears too naturalistic, appearing unkempt and disregarded, which reflects findings from previous studies that confirm residents prefer cosmetic, formal, even railed waterways (Adams et al, 2004;Prior, 2016;Tapsell, 1995). The most raised and contentious concern was the possibility of increased flooding, which residents suggested should be addressed before daylighting goes ahead.…”

Section: Everyday Wildnessmentioning

confidence: 70%

“…Therefore, the type, application and efficacy of participation methods are vital as these ultimately determine how material publics are formed or 'enacted' (Law and Urry, 2004). And yet, participation in restoration has largely been restricted to consultation rather than material engagement, which is mainly left to engineers and landscapers (Prior, 2016). This is limiting as people relate to nature in ways that are not strictly rational, which calls for 'hands-on', experimental forms of engagement that involves residents in the making of their surroundings (Eden and Bear, 2012).…”

Section: Wilding the City Or Experiments In Complex Coexistencementioning

confidence: 99%

Broaching the brook: Daylighting, community and the ‘stickiness’ of water

Usher

Huck

Clay

et al. 2020

Environment and Planning E: Nature and Space

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Over the last century, under the modern hydraulic model, waterways across the world have been heavily canalized and culverted, driven into underground pipes, drains and sewers. This hydraulic approach has hardwired an isolated water network into the urban fabric, fragmenting erstwhile patterns and dynamics of life, both human and nonhuman. Ecologically, it has been hugely damaging, reducing water quality and biotic diversity, but also socially, disconnecting citizens from the waterways that service and characterize the city. Consequently, since the 1990s, waterway restoration has become widespread as a design solution to degraded rivers and streams, reinstating compromised hydrological, geomorphological and ecological processes. Deculverting or ‘daylighting’, the focus of this paper, is a radical form of restoration, opening up subterranean, culverted waterways often forgotten by communities above ground. Yet, as this paper emphasizes, waterway restoration has tended to privilege ecological over social objectives, while public engagement in project conceptualization has been limited, conducted ‘downstream’ subsequent to planning and design stages. Restoration schemes have therefore tended to reflect the concerns of professionals rather than communities, overlooking their potential for social renewal and change. Drawing on workshop data collected through participatory mapping exercises, this paper explores the case for daylighting a culverted brook in Urmston, Greater Manchester, focusing in particular on the preferences, concerns and knowledge of local residents. The paper compares professional and community perspectives on the preferred scheme design and potential benefits of daylighting, drawing out differences and tensions between them, temporarily ‘unblackboxing’ the brook. It is ventured that daylighting can unleash the social ‘stickiness’ of water, its proclivity to draw and bind together, to revitalize the park, enhancing connection to wildness, attachment to place and sense of community. This is particularly crucial in the face of decreased local authority funding and related crises in park management.

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“…Policies now focus on preventing the coverage of natural waterways by promoting the transformation of these structures, and restoring urban waterways back into more natural courses [6,43]. Many countries of the world have taken the approach of restoration of urban waterways as an opportunity to reduce the shortage of natural open spaces and enhance the wellbeing of the local communities through affording linear recreational areas within the cities [44].…”

Section: Literature Reviewmentioning

confidence: 99%

Amman (City of Waters); Policy, Land Use, and Character Changes

Gharaibeh

Al.Zu’bi

Abuhassan

2019

Land

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The character of Amman, Jordan, as the "City of Waters"—referring to the abundance of water flowing in its known stream—has faded away because of the municipal policy to cover the stream in the 1960s which gradually changed the ecological character. This paper traces and explores the impacts of stream-coverage policy on the city character, morphology and land use changes. The purpose is to understand how an engineered problem-solving policy changed physical and perceptive factors and affected the character of the city. It also explores future attitudes towards reversing the non-nature-friendly conditions. The methods depend upon monitoring morphological changes in aerial photographs and in land use maps from municipality archives, conducting interviews with the elderly who witnessed change, one-to-one questionnaires with stakeholders and online questionnaires with residents and visitors. The results show that covering the stream is depriving the city of its historical/ecological character. The policy failed to promote affluent business, to mitigate flood impacts, or to decrease traffic congestion in the Central Business District (CBD). Most age groups believe the stream can improve the image and economy, despite the fact of their unawareness of its historical presence. In conclusion, engineered problem-solving should not stay in the hands of decision makers (technocrats) alone, but rather be considered with the public, sustainable character experts, and ecologists.

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Urban river design and aesthetics: a river restoration case study from the UK

Cited by 23 publications

References 23 publications

Residents' perception of flood risk and urban stream restoration using multi‐criteria decision analysis

Residents' perception of flood risk and urban stream restoration using multi‐criteria decision analysis

Broaching the brook: Daylighting, community and the ‘stickiness’ of water

Amman (City of Waters); Policy, Land Use, and Character Changes

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