When do grassroots initiatives emerge to drive regeneration of urban waterscapes? What experiences do communities make when driving water related regeneration initiatives in various contexts? What have been the main outcomes and which major opportunities and risks can be observed?

Urban rivers appear back on the agenda as focal points of sustainable transformation. River regeneration initiatives face a renaissance among urban development projects world-wide. Indeed, they are considered vital to making cities more attractive, green, just, liveable, resilient, and promoting climate change adaptation. In both situations, whether the state has been traditionally strong, or whether it has been exceptionally weak, there seems to be an emerging momentum of bottom-up energy driving certain initiatives and projects. In this context this event seeks to reflect on the experiences of community led initiatives on regenerating urban waterscapes.

Organizers

• United Nations Human Settlement Programme (UN-Habitat)- Global Public Space   Programme
• City University of New York (CUNY)- The Public Space Research Group
• Norwegian University of Science and Technology (NTNU)- Urban Ecological Planning
• Placemaking X

Goals

• To better understand the role of grassroot initiatives as part of waterscape regeneration initiatives.
• To contribute increasing social and environmental justice and quality of life in cities through waterscape regeneration
• To achieve societal impact by contributing to the improvement of global policy and people-centred local solutions based on urban river restoration initiatives.

Presentations

The role of civil society for transformative process: UN-Habitat’s Global Public Space Programme experience

• Jose Chong, Lead, Global Public Space Programme, United Nations Human Settlements Programme (UN-Habitat)

Blue Spaces & Health and Wellbeing: The Case of Walkway Across the Hudson 

• Setha Low, Director, The Public Space Research Group and Distinguished Professor of Geography, Anthropology, and Psychology, The Graduate Center, CUNY

Environmental Activism and Gentrification

• Melissa Checker, Professor of Urban Studies, Queens College, and Professor of Geography and Anthropology, The Graduate Center, CUNY

PEARLS: Promoting a New Community of Knowledge and Practice on People Centred and Resilient Spaces related to Urban Rivers

• Peter Gotsch,  Professor, Urban Ecological Planning, Norwegian University of Science and Technology (NTNU)

Where Communities Flow: Riverfront Placemaking Around the World

• Ethan Kent, Executive Director, PlacemakingX

Bronx River Placemaking

• Siddhartha Sánchez, Community Development Planner, Youth Ministries for Peace and Justice, Bronx, New York

• Eva Muhia, Commissioner, Nairobi Rivers Commission

Intended outcomes

Networking with activist, practitioners, local governments, and academia in order to contribute establishing a new community of knowledge and practice on People Centred and Resilient Spaces related to Urban Rivers.

For online attendance, join the Zoom meeting here.