Reclaiming urban rivers

Historical background

● Nearly all major cities were built on a river.

● Rivers were traditionally used by city dwellers for transport, fishing and recreation.

● Industrial development and rising populations later led to:

○ more sewage from houses being discharged into the river

○ pollution from on the river bank.

● In 1957, the River Thames in London was declared biologically .

Recent improvements

● Seals and even a have been seen in the River Thames.

● Riverside warehouses are converted to restaurants and

● In Los Angeles, there are plans to:

○ build a riverside

○ display projects.

● In Paris, are created on the sides of the river every summer.

Transport possibilities

● Over 2 billion passengers already travel by in cities round the world.

● Changes in shopping habits mean the number of deliveries that are made is increasing.

● Instead of road transport, goods could be transported by large freight barges and electric or, in future, by .