An Interdisciplinary Approach to Assessing, Planning and Managing Urban Rivers in the context of Greater London
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Urban rivers present complex management challenges due to the combined natural and
anthropocentric factors affecting developed catchments. Planning urban river
rehabilitation strategies and measures in parallel with green infrastructure initiatives
requires the combined expertise of multi-disciplinary partnerships, encompassing river
science and landscape engineering plus community engagement, to deliver integrated
and sustainable outcomes. This thesis takes an interdisciplinary approach to investigate
the assessment and management of urban rivers, focusing specifically upon the planning
of integrated restoration projects for River Thames tributaries within Greater London.
Comparisons of restored and unrestored sites on London tributary rivers at the reachand
catchment-scale explore the versatility of the Urban River Survey method for
assessing and communicating contrasts in the bio-physical condition and
engineering:habitat associations of heavily modified rivers. A trial of the Ecosystem
Services Assessment method for urban river restorations indicates the strengths and
limitations of this approach and areas of research need.
Urban river governance investigations and a review of changes in restoration practices
over time confirm a decreasing emphasis on channel control and progressively lighter
engineering, plus a greater social focus with urban river management becoming
increasingly driven by awareness of the symbiosis between rivers and local
communities. In some London boroughs partner organisations are developing new links
through sustainable development objectives, but connections are geographically
inconsistent and typically dependent upon key advocates.
Findings indicate that integrated planning can facilitate interdisciplinary processes
through the identification of cross-cutting themes (e.g. climate change) and open
knowledge exchange when delivered with appropriate levels of detail. While some
disciplinary boundaries are necessary (to define project scope and for task
management), socio-ecological benefits may be achieved when these are flexible,
permeable and managed responsively in relation to simple overarching goals; and by
allowing time for different kinds of knowledge to merge and stimulate new creative and
integrated interpretations.
Authors
Shuker, Jane Lucy FloraCollections
- Theses [3822]