Urban Riverbank Research Articles

Urban Planning and Landscape Projects on Urban Riverbanks in Europe: Comparative Study of the Ebro River, Zaragoza, and the Isar River, Munich

The tension between rivers and cities reaches its highest expression in urban river basins. Given the high level of interaction between natural and cultural factors in many riverfronts, an integral project design is essential. The large number of urban river basin enhancement cases that have been conducted has resulted in a large amount of urban scientific literature. The multifaceted nature of these systems renders their analysis and contextualization a challenging endeavor. The objective of this research is to propose a novel evaluation tool based on a reformulation of Lynch’s theory of urban form performance, which has been updated from a landscape urbanism perspective. The conceptual framework provides a comprehensive method for translating diverse design strategies into comparable and meaningful categories. The results illustrate the impact of urban riverbank requalification initiatives on the formal quality dimensions of the city–river socio-ecological system. The assessment tool was applied to two cases: the Ebro River in Zaragoza (Spain) and the Isar River in Munich (Germany). Despite differences between the cases, comparative analysis revealed similar levels of urban landscape quality parameters and common elements that can provide new insights when considering the solutions applied and the degree of improvement in quality and river–city cohesion achieved with these projects.

A century of urban landslides: the legacy and consequences of altering riverbank landscapes

Urban landslides are a deadly and costly hazard. Human actions, such as altering the grade, composition and vegetation-cover of hillslopes, can increase the threat of mass movements. Here, we use an interdisciplinary approach to examine the spatial distribution, timing and cause of landslides affecting a state highway and adjacent buildings along the top of a steep, urban riverbank in the mid-latitude, humid-temperate state of Vermont. Using over 100 years of mapping, photographs and written records, we demonstrate that most mass movements in our field area occurred on slopes oversteepened by the addition of uncompacted artificial fill, added without engineering considerations. Emplaced atop glacial and post-glacial sediment with low hydraulic conductivity, the fill, having little to no cohesion, expanded buildable areas, but the new infrastructure sat on unstable ground. Over the following decades, repeated failures ( n = 20), mostly shallow translational landslides in fill material along with several deeper-seated rotational slides, sent buildings, trees and segments of road into the river below. Solutions include incentivizing the removal of structures built on fill and limiting further filling activities through changes in zoning regulations and more effective enforcement of existing municipal codes. The approach we use provides a framework for similar geographical settings and can inform urban planning and risk assessment. Supplementary material : Supplementary photographs and imagery, and a list of references for all historical photographs and maps used in this study, are available at https://doi.org/10.6084/m9.figshare.c.7103608 Thematic collection: This article is part of the Engineering Geology and Hydrogeology of the Anthropocene collection available at: https://www.lyellcollection.org/topic/collections/engineering-geology-and-hydrogeology-of-the-anthropocene

Why the riverside is an attractive urban corridor for bicycle transport and recreation

The extension of the cycling network is a challenge in view of the dense development of modern cities. Therefore, green-blue corridors are increasingly being used for this type of linear infrastructure. Particularly visible in recent years is the trend of developing urban riverbanks and transforming them into high-class cycle highways. The aim of the paper is to verify which of the features attributed to riverside cycle paths are of greatest importance for their users. The survey conducted for the study [N = 866] used the example of the ‘Nacyna Riverside Route’ in Rybnik, Poland, which, once completed, is expected to become a long traffic-free pedestrian and cycle route connecting the city centre with residential, industrial, and recreational districts. The results were analysed using statistical description in terms of gender, age, and purpose of route use. The article provides information on the natural, locational, and constructional factors that have the strongest impact on the success of a route. It has been shown that the route's location away from traffic and the natural character of its surroundings are of greatest importance. This study expands the existing knowledge base concerning routes most frequently chosen by cyclists as it identifies the factors which determine their popularity.

Microbial community composition in urban riverbank sediments: response to municipal effluents over spatial gradient.

Municipal effluents have adverse impacts on the aquatic ecosystem and especially the microbial community. This study described the compositions of sediment bacterial communities in the urban riverbank over the spatial gradient. Sediments were collected from seven sampling sites of the Macha River. The physicochemical parameters of sediment samples were determined. The bacterial communities in sediments were analyzed by 16S rRNA gene sequencing. The results showed that these sites were affected by different types of effluents, leading to regional variations in the bacterial community. The higher microbial richness and biodiversity at SM2 and SD1 sites were correlated with the levels of NH4+-N, organic matter, effective sulphur, electrical conductivity, and total dissolved solids (p < 0.01). Organic matter, total nitrogen, NH4+-N, NO3-N, pH, and effective sulphur were identified to be important drivers for bacterial community distribution. At the phylum level, Proteobacteria (32.8-71.7%) was predominant in sediments, and at the genus level, Serratia appeared at all sampling sites and accounted for the dominant genus. Sulphate-reducing bacteria, nitrifiers, and denitrifiers were detected and closely related to contaminants. This study expanded our understanding of municipal effluents on microbial communities in riverbank sediments, and also provided valuable information for further exploration of microbial community functions.

Flood Risk Resilience of Households Living Along the Urban Riverbanks of Tumaga River in Zamboanga City, Philippines

Flood Risk Resilience of Households Living Along the Urban Riverbanks of Tumaga River in Zamboanga City, Philippines

Flood disaster evacuation route choice in Indonesian urban riverbank kampong: Exploring the role of individual characteristics, path risk elements, and path network configuration

Emergency evacuation is regarded as the most important disaster response action for protecting human life from potentially lethal threats. Despite growing research aimed at evaluating and modelling evacuation for strategic flood disaster preparedness, remarkably little is known about how informal settlement dwellers realized and negotiated surrounding environment for evacuation path route choice. The purpose of this paper is to analyze the dynamic interaction between human characteristics, path risk elements, and path network configuration in constructing flood evacuation route choices based on two cases study of urban riverbank kampongs in Yogyakarta, Indonesia. To understand these interactions, we applied a mixed method based on a qualitative research approach, which included (1) walking evacuation simulation with video analysis to understand the informality practices and kampong's space setting, (2) an analysis of dweller's narrative experience collected from walking interviews, (3) computational path network configuration analysis using space syntax. Our findings suggest that kampong dwellers selected evacuation routes differently based on their individual capacity, the safety performance of path design, and path network characteristics in accommodating the safest travel. When juxtaposing space syntax results with walking evacuation simulation, the individual evacuation route choice is highly related to space syntax measures (normalized angular choice at local radii), implying that the majority of residents still prefer to walk on the straightest route (the route with the least angular deviation) to reach the assembly/exit points. Furthermore, this research demonstrates that not all residents have the same capabilities to walk on the straightest evacuation route due to physical capacity and limitation that relates to gender and ages differences in negotiating path risk elements. The use of mixed method approaches provided a practical insight into emphasizing the human-centered perspective in planning an effective flood emergency evacuation for informal riverbank settlements through spatial design, planning, that respect vulnerable groups.

Spatial Equity in River Access. Measuring the Public Space Potential of Urban Riverbanks in Valdivia, Chile

This paper seeks to evaluate the public space potential of riverbanks in the case of the city of Valdivia. The main goal of this research is to understand the relationships that promote or hinder the equitable enjoyment of watercourses and riverbanks. In the case of river access, spatial equity will be considered as the possibility for all inhabitants to access the benefits and resources of the river in their daily lives. Different analytical techniques and quantitative data were used to explore the relationships between socioeconomic characteristics, like socioeconomic groups and land value in the riverbank urban area. This evaluation will be applied by river edge transects. This article is a contribution to the theoretical discussion of social equity in urban riverfronts as an application in the case study since there are few studies on river banks from this perspective. Lack of a comprehensive shore planning in waterfront neighborhoods and of diverse public spaces impedes due public riverside and water use, as well as neglects ecological deterioration processes and social vulnerability.

Flood Disaster Evacuation Route Choice in Indonesian Urban Riverbank Kampong: Exploring the Role of Individual Characteristics, Path Risk Elements, and Path Network Configuration

Flood Disaster Evacuation Route Choice in Indonesian Urban Riverbank Kampong: Exploring the Role of Individual Characteristics, Path Risk Elements, and Path Network Configuration

Improving the methodology for creating economic and institutional mechanisms for improving the level of urban areas

The purpose of the research is to study the renewal of the spatial and territorial environment of a city using the example of Barnaul. The key point of urbanized urban space is the concept of greening, since it is the most important component of the sphere of housing and communal services. The objectives of the urban greening system are to create healthy, appropriate and favorable living conditions for the urban population, so the conceptual methodology will serve to calculate greening standards and the system of criteria for selecting green spaces. The comparative analysis of expert opinions on this relevant issue and the study of the cases of other Russian cities enable the co-authors to devise a method for calculating greening standards. Measures to improve the landscaping system in cities can be developed through the analysis of the current situation in the main sub-sectors of landscaping. In the future, this will allow us to design an "efficient" and, most importantly, socially-oriented urban space.The issues of creating, preserving and improving the quality of green areas are relevant not only for the municipality, or the city of Barnaul, but also for each urban settlement of the Russian Federation. Intensified activities, abundant information, and a high pace of urban life lead to constant overstrain among city residents. In this regard, the presence of a well-groomed urban forest, landscaped parks, and ennobled river banks is of great importance. Currently, their condition is of concern to urban residents and there is a need to clean garbage, reconstruct the green zone, create reservoirs, make new alleys, restore fountains, clean the banks of urban rivers.

Integrative decision-making strategy for fluvial neighborhoods in transition

The changing relationships between cities and their waters over the centuries lead today – after a clear sidelining of rivers in the city – to question their potential for building new interactions. Current densification objectives of the existing built fabric resonating with the protection measures against floods bring out a broad field of exploration regarding the evolution of the urban riverbanks. Within this context, the research presented here focuses on the Rhône, an emblematic territory of the regeneration of urban riverbanks. Besides the technical means of risk management in flood-prone areas, landscape, urban, and architectural issues question the project approach to adopt for the development of new fluvial neighborhoods. Furthermore, many challenges raise for the management and steering of these sites in transition. Their regeneration in sustainable fluvial neighborhoods being closely linked with the accentuation of their characteristics, the ambition of the ongoing research consists in developing an integrative decision-making strategy specific to the issues related to the transformation of the urban sites along the Rhône. In that order, three steps are applied: 1. a prospective phase on four representative study areas, 2. the development of specific city-river balance components, and 3. the experimentation of an unprecedented multi-criteria comparative evaluation approach. These tools are not only strongly interconnected but are also parts of the integrative decision-making strategy, which is the main expected output of the research.

Ecological Strategies for Designing Urban River Banks\ Abu Nuwas Buffer Zone in Baghdad as a Case Study

The riverbank is an effective component of the city-river interconnection, and any damage that occurs to it affects its natural structure and particularly its ecological values. Most of these problems are diagnosable and observable in the riverside space, and many studies have focused on them. The emergence of these problems may appear in varying proportions in the riverbank environment depending on the type of human intervention, both in urban and non-urban spaces, which may have a negative impact on the riverbank space. In light of this, studies have been directed towards exploring different ecological strategies that should be applied on the urban riverbank space, which work in an integrated manner with many other values to restore the natural characteristics of landscape and riverbank space and reduce the impact of negative human intervention in them. The main research problem is defined in the loss of the ecological value of riverbanks in cities in general and Baghdad city in particular, and the lack of knowledge concerning the ecological strategies in riverbanks on the planning and design levels. The main objective of the research was thus to draw the theoretical framework that extracts the strategies and indicators of the landscape ecology.The theoretical framework was then applied to the edge of the Tigris River in Baghdad (as a case study), that resembles the area and park of Abu Nuwas region in Baghdad, with the aim of further diagnosing the reality of the riverbank and the extent to which ecological strategies can be applied.The results of the research in both its theoretical and practical aspects have revealed a clear approach to ecological strategies that achieve riverbank ecology and the development of specific mechanisms to provide a safe and effective river environment that accommodates various events and uses in the river bank, and enhances public awareness of its importance

The importance of remnant vegetation coverage along riverbank in supporting urban river naturalization in Bogor City, Indonesia

Human disturbances in urban river landscape and its riverbank cannot be avoided. The construction of buildings and other infrastructure are among the human disturbances which cause a serious decline in urban riverbank quality so that influencing the stability of its landscape ecological cycle. Exploration of vegetated urban riverbank in Indonesia, especially in Bogor City is very important to save its existence in supporting the naturalization of the Ciliwung River. This study aims to estimate the remnant vegetated urban riverbank along the Ciliwung River and estimate the value of landscape/ecosystem services along the riverbank in the Bogor City. This research was carried out by taking four sample locations of the 250 meters and 15 meters wide at the right and the left of the riverbank using aerial photography and processed with ArcGIS software. Then, the land cover delineation and ecosystem services of the four sample locations are estimated by random point sampling method as many as 500 points for each sample location using i-Tree Assessment. The results of this study indicated that vegetation cover along the riverbank in Bogor City is 62% or 300,443 m2 ± 1733.96 m2. The advantages of landscape service for tree vegetation along the Ciliwung riverbank in Bogor City, converted into economic value, is equal to IDR 178,272,333. The landscape ecological function of riparian vegetation has a large role in absorbing pollutant gases in cities, storing carbon in biomass and dust absorption as much as converted into these economic values. Protection and conservation of the remnant vegetated urban riverbank needs to be conducted with various stakeholders so that the value of landscape services can be increased optimally in achieving success of river naturalization for sustainable urban water system in Bogor City.

The effects of biochar and dredged sediments on soil structure and fertility promote the growth, photosynthetic and rhizosphere microbial diversity of Phragmites communis (Cav.) Trin. ex Steud

The improvement of urban river revetment soil is conducive to promote the growth of pioneer plants which can accelerate the restoration of ecosystems. How to effectively amend soil structure and composition to provide a suitable soil rhizosphere for rapid plant expansion is essential to be solved in the study. Biochar and lake dredged sediments were used to amend an urban river bank soil, where compaction and lack of mineral nutrition hindered the growth of Phragmites. The study found that the addition of 50% mass of dredged sediments combined with 5% mass of straw biochar increased the plant height maximum growth rate, tiller number per unit area, and root biomass by 32.93%, 29.62%, and 41.39%, respectively. The reason for these positive effects on plant growth mainly involved the improvement of rhizosphere soil properties. Addition of biochar increased porosity and available phosphorus content while dredged sediments increased soil organic carbon, thereby increasing the underground unit total phosphorus content of Phragmites by 18.18%. An increase of the Alpha diversity index of rhizosphere microorganisms (8.18%) and the decrease in infection rate of arbuscular mycorrhizal fungi (23.61%) also proved that the rapid expansion of Phragmites was improved owing to changes of the soil physicochemical properties. The combination of biochar and dredged sediments realized synergistic improvement of soil physical structure and increase of nutrient content, which helped promote the growth and expansion of the underground part of Phragmites. This cost-effective method can be feasible used for improvement of urban river revetment ecosystem.

Methodology for the assessment of connectivity and comfort of urban rivers

Urban rivers differ from natural rivers because of the direct connection they have with human habitat. Furthermore, riverbanks are public spaces that contribute to the interaction between natural and urbanized areas and between people from different socioeconomic background. Due to this significance, the main objective of this research was to provide a methodology for the construction of a toolbox that evaluates connectivity and comfort of urban riverbanks, so as to allow comparative visual and numeric analysis between different zones of the same river, distinct rivers in the same city and rivers in various cities. The proposal was based on the disaggregation of the concepts of connectivity and comfort, through the analysis of four dimensions: (a) Spatial and visual accessibility, (b) Continuity of the green corridor, (c) Condition of public space, and (d) Condition of the first built line, expressed in thirteen quantitative condition indicators. For validation, the toolbox was applied to five zones of the Tomebamba River of the city of Cuenca in Ecuador and a series of maps were generated allowing spatial visualization of the results. In addition, an Urban River Sustainability Index (URSI) was developed to reinforce the decision-making processes in planning and urban design.

STUDI MODEL RANCANGAN HUNIAN VERTIKAL BERDASARKAN BENTUK INTERAKSI WARGA DI BANTARAN SUNGAI WINONGO YOGYAKARTA (A Study of Vertical Dwelling Design Model Based on Community Interaction in Winongo Riverbank Yogyakarta)

Riverbanks are one of the urban areas that often experience decrease in its environment quality. This is caused by the improper utilization of riverbanks as a living space. Consequently, the quality of adequate housing for the community is difficult to achieve. Although the government has tried to build flats as a solution to the problem, some residents choose to abandon them because of its formal and rigid vertical dwelling model that make the residents feel lack of togetherness and interaction between community. This kind of communal perspectives sometimes cannot be found when they live in horizontal dwelling (kampung). The purpose of this paper is to generate recomendation for a vertical dwelling model based on the form of community interaction in Kampung Gampingan, located at the Winongo River. The paper is expected to be an alternative solution for stakeholders in planning and designing settlements, especially in villages on the banks of urban rivers.

A Study of Vertical Dwelling Design Model Based on Community Interaction in Winongo Riverbank Yogyakarta

Riverbanks are one of the urban areas that often experience decrease in its environment quality. This is caused by the improper utilization of riverbanks as a living space. Consequently, the quality of adequate housing for the community is difficult to achieve. Although the government has tried to build flats as a solution to the problem, some residents choose to abandon them because of its formal and rigid vertical dwelling model that make the residents feel lack of togetherness and interaction between community. This kind of communal perspectives sometimes cannot be found when they live in horizontal dwelling (kampung). The purpose of this paper is to generate recomendation for a vertical dwelling model based on the form of community interaction in Kampung Gampingan, located at the Winongo River. The paper is expected to be an alternative solution for stakeholders in planning and designing settlements, especially in villages on the banks of urban rivers.

Ground Vegetation Diversity on Different Type of Riverbank Along Ciliwung River in Bogor City, West Java

Ciliwung riverbank has been affected by settlement occupation. Both concrete and another retaining wall system have been built to avoid flood and erosion to the settlement that has existed adjacent to the river. Built environment as human disturbance can trigger the change of species richness of ground vegetation in the Ciliwung riverbank of Bogor City. The research objective is to study the difference of ground vegetation biodiversity in three different types of riverbank based on its condition: natural, semi-natural, and constructed riverbanks. Point method and photographic sampling are used. Five replications of a square metre plot at three transects were placed at four sites sampling along 250 m each from the three different types of riverbank. Images of the plots are trained using sample point to overcome the difficulties in the field observation and statistical analysis. The result discovered that species richness in the natural riverbank is significantly higher than in semi-natural and constructed riverbank. Yet, no significance of species richness is shown between semi-natural and constructed riverbank. Total species of ground vegetation that we found were 55 species. Each different type of riverbank has its own highest species coverage: Asystasia nemorum (55.00%) in the natural riverbank, Pilea nummulariifolia (33.07%) in the semi-natural riverbank, and Pogonatherum crinitum (52.80%) in the constructed riverbank. The study concluded that the construction in the riverbank largely altered the biodiversity of ground vegetation in the urban riverbank. The outcomes suggest that the remnant of natural riverbank in the urban landscape should be highly protected from urban development to preserve its biodiversity. Also, species found could be potentially developed as landscape plants to support urban river planning, design, and management.

Assessment of spatiotemporal variations in river water quality for sustainable environmental and recreational management in the highly urbanized Danshui River basin.

Rivers are an important urban resource, and water quality influences the use of river water. Thus, analyzing spatiotemporal variations in river water quality is crucial for sustainable use and management of water resources in a highly urbanized region. This study employed river pollution index (RPI) data obtained in 2013 to assess spatiotemporal variations in river water quality for sustainable environmental and recreational management in the highly urbanized Danshui River basin. First, ordinary kriging was adopted to analyze monthly RPI distributions. Subsequently, different percentiles of monthly estimated RPI distributions were probabilistically determined at a river segment. Finally, three measurement methods of local uncertainty, namely-conditional variance, local entropy, and interquartile range-were used to characterize spatiotemporal variations in river water quality in the Danshui River basin. Assessment results revealed that more highly polluted river water quality resulted in higher seasonal variations. Moreover, high and very high seasonal variations were mainly concentrated in urban river segments, whereas low and very low seasonal variations were primarily located in upstream river segments. Thus, to achieve sustainable development goals, artificial wetlands should be established at downstream and midstream urban riverbanks and urban recreational activities should be developed in upstream riverbank parks in the Danshui River basin before the comprehensive improvement of river water quality.

Spatial and temporal variations of nutrition in representative river networks in Southwest China.

To control pollutants in rivers, we need to have an understanding of the spatial and temporal variations on nutrients and environmental processes in complex river networks. In this study, 177 sampling sites were located in Jinjiang River in 2017, 15 monitoring stations in Jinjiang River from 2011 to 2016 were also collected. According to the data from the monitoring station, the total phosphorus (TP) and total nitrogen (TN) were the dominant contaminants. By analyzing historical water quality data and up-to-date information about the nutrient concentrations, the secondary canals of the Jinjiang River system, most of which were black and odorous, were much more seriously polluted than the main channel and tributaries. Correlation analysis indicated that the NH3, CODcr, TN, and TP had similar sources (R2NH3-CODcr = 0.572, R2NH3-TN = 0.543, R2NH3-TP = 0.537, p < 0.01). The vertical banks of urban rivers and the inadequate and poorly maintained pipe network systems promote deterioration of water quality in these secondary canals. Overall, our results suggest that the river water quality could be improved if the municipal pipe network systems were better maintained and if the vertical banks were transformed into vegetated buffer strips. This study will support initiatives to improve the water quality and function of the river network ecosystem.

The Relation Between Urban Riverbank Reconstruction and Tourism Attractiveness Shaping- A Case Study of Love River in Kaohsiung, Taiwan

Love River has played a critical role in the development of Kaohsiung City. The city recently succeeded in publicizing the bank scenery of Love River, which has now become a tourist destination in Kaohsiung. Love River′s lower reach was chosen as the subject of this study, in order to explore the relation between urban riverbank reconstruction and tourism attractiveness shaping; this study adopted the approach of focus group interview involving planning officials, non-governmental organizations, tourists, industries and local residents; it established Love River Tourism Attractive Elements Questionnaire based on the Kano Model and carried out research in five major dimensions including existing resources, tourism activities, food and accommodation, transportation, and spatial comfort so as to determine the elements that help shape riverbank attractiveness. The results of the investigation were analyzed, and suggestions for riverbank development were provided. The statistical analysis concludes that to enhance the riverbank tourism attractions of Love River, the following priority sequence of development should be followed: (1) proactive development; (2) basic development; (3) considerable development; (4) suspended development. Considering the development priority sequence of the attractive elements of Love River riverbank tourism, this study finally proposed concrete suggestions for Love River′s future development in four parts: spatial form, experience of the four senses, transportation planning, and activity strategy.