Urban Pathways facilitates city exchange on the transformative potential of Urban River Regeneration for low carbon urban development
28 September 2022 - Human development has resulted in a significant decline in the health of rivers globally. Population growth, unplanned urbanization and climate change, among other factors, are expected to place additional pressure on river ecosystems over coming decades. As the settlement pressure in cities increases, green spaces often have to make room for human settlements, the development for trade, industry, and infrastructure. Often, this results in the loss of green public space for recreation, increased surface runoff, and flooding hazards and thus, negatively affects people’s well-being. Additionally, urban rivers have been heavily reduced to enable development, to carry waste, to supply drinking water, and facilitate transport.
It is unanimous that the relationship between green and blue infrastructure and the urban environment is essential to increase well-being and population health. However, the significant potential of urban rivers has been ignored by policy-makers for a very long time.
Over the last few years, river restoration as a concept has started to gain traction, and the Urban Pathways project supports pilot initiatives in Kenya and Brazil with the aim to reduce carbon emissions.
It is against this background that Urban Pathways organized a Virtual City Exchange on the transformative potential of Urban River Regeneration for low carbon urban development that took place on 28th September 2022. The event discussed urban river regeneration and invited participating cities to rethink the relationship between the built environment and the natural environment. The event highlighted five examples from cities in Africa, Asia and Latin America:
28 September 2022 - Human development has resulted in a significant decline in the health of rivers globally. Population growth, unplanned urbanization and climate change, among other factors, are expected to place additional pressure on river ecosystems over coming decades. As the settlement pressure in cities increases, green spaces often have to make room for human settlements, the development for trade, industry, and infrastructure. Often, this results in the loss of green public space for recreation, increased surface runoff, and flooding hazards and thus, negatively affects people’s well-being. Additionally, urban rivers have been heavily reduced to enable development, to carry waste, to supply drinking water, and facilitate transport.
It is unanimous that the relationship between green and blue infrastructure and the urban environment is essential to increase well-being and population health. However, the significant potential of urban rivers has been ignored by policy-makers for a very long time.
Over the last few years, river restoration as a concept has started to gain traction, and the Urban Pathways project supports pilot initiatives in Kenya and Brazil with the aim to reduce carbon emissions.
It is against this background that Urban Pathways organized a Virtual City Exchange on the transformative potential of Urban River Regeneration for low carbon urban development that took place on 28th September 2022. The event discussed urban river regeneration and invited participating cities to rethink the relationship between the built environment and the natural environment. The event highlighted five examples from cities in Africa, Asia and Latin America:
- 1. Sheger River Project, Addis Ababa, Ethiopia;
- 2. Nairobi River Regeneration Initiative, Nairobi, Kenya
- 3. Ganga Riverfront Transformation, Varanasi, India
- 4. Reopening of rivers and waterways, Oslo, Norway
- 5. Living Streets at Jardim Felicidade, Belo Horizonte, Brazil
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