Fluvial Landscapes, Catchment Administration and Land-use Planning: experience based on two rivers in Spain

Abstract

The differences between urban, rural and fluvial landscapes pose challenges for land-use planning. In particular, the stable character of urban settlements and cultural landscapes contrasts with the instability of fluvial ones. In Spain, the administration of fluvial landscapes, via the main legal instrument (the Hydraulic Public Domain) and land-use plans, is conducted on the basis of administrative boundaries which cut across hydrological units. The characteristics and dynamics of fluvial landscapes (in particular two Spanish rivers) are studied and it is argued that land uses established within them should be compatible with their characteristics and dynamics. In order to implement this objective, two new concepts are proposed for adoption by the river agencies and for incorporation in local land-use plans—the Area of Fluvial Freedom and the Area of Flooding.