The Trajectory of the Landscape and Functionality of Urban Watercourses: A Study of Lavras City, Brazil

Abstract

The growth of the urban population promotes a strong pressure to occupy open spaces in urban center, including around watercourses. Canalization and drainage techniques favored urban expansion and occupation of these spaces. In long term, this has not been efficient, since it is not a sustainable decision, mainly in view of the challenges provided by climate change. The purpose of this work was to analyze the modification of the landscape and multifunctionality of the urban watercourses in relation to socioeconomic and environmental scope of the evolution of an urban area using Lavras city, Brazil, as model. For that, city's hydrographic grid was drawn from the digital elevation model (DEM) corrected by manual vectorization after field visits and analysis of high-resolution images. To understand natural and sociocultural evolution processes, a compilation of geo-historical information about the origin and formation of the city was made using Patchwork Quilt methodology. To understand the actions and perceptions of different actors from urban watercourses in Lavras, questionnaires were applied to the population, and interviews were directed to the public and private managers. It was observed that the watercourses and their surroundings lost a large part of their natural, social, and economic functions, after the 1980s, only having a drainage function. The areas in expansion prioritize the natural function preservation but lack the incentive to implement the other functions such as social and economic. With the economic valuation of land, the implementation of green and blue infrastructure has not yet been prioritized. Even with the legislation that provides multifunctional uses for rivers and their banks, the urban watercourses from Lavras remained largely monofunctional. This did not contribute to increasing the city's green areas and the reintegration of watercourses into the urban landscape. The population values the water present in the urban landscape and yearns for multifunctional solutions such as green areas and urban gardens. Public and private actors recognize the lack of clarity in the legislation, and in the definition of concepts and techniques to be adopted. Multifunctional solutions can be in favor of reconciling different interests, promoting the reintegration of rivers into the urban landscape.

Landscape Aesthetic Value of Waterfront Green Space Based on Space–Psychology–Behavior Dimension: A Case Study along Qiantang River (Hangzhou Section)

“…For example, coastal ecosystems tend to be characterized by high human well-being, clean water, clean air, and aesthetic pleasure, and the jogging and walking space on the waterfront gives it the durability, stability, and productivity of a natural system [ 6 ]. From the perspective of spatial division, waterfront projects use the blue line (water protection zone control line) and the green line (urban green space control line) as the main control lines to divide ‘blue space’ and ‘green space’ [ 7 , 8 , 9 ]. The ‘waterfront green space’ represents a mixed location of ecological, economic, and social transition and diffusion areas and is spatially concretized between land and water [ 1 ].…”

Trajectory of landscaping and multifunctionality around urban rivers: the case of Angers

“…The rapid and disordered growth of cities, especially after the industrial period, has led to the effect of conurbation and to the suppression of vegetation and occupation of free spaces within urban perimeters as well as agricultural spaces on urban peripheries (Mok et al, 2014;Sousa et al, 2022). Many of these occupied spaces comprise the surroundings of rivers and their floodplains (Bonin, 2007;Sousa et al, 2022).…”

“…This strategy aims to establish a European ecological network comprising core zones, ecological corridors, zones to be restored, and buffer zones. This initiative has led to the development of the "green and blue plot" (GBP) concept (Lamond and Everett, 2019;Sousa et al, 2022), which has been integrated into the legislation of various countries, including France, at different territorial levels (Clergeau, 2012;IAU, 2011;Oliveira and Costa, 2018).…”

“…GBIs facilitate the creation of multifunctional green spaces (Lotfi, 2017;Salgado et al, 2020;Garcia, 2021;Sousa et al, 2022;Luz et al, 2023), which are increasingly valued by public actors (Clergeau, 2012;Mehdi et al, 2012). Urban rivers and their surroundings present an opportunity to innovate city planning, restore ecology, and create valuable public spaces (Mondragón-Monroy and Honey-Rosés, 2016).…”

“…This analysis enables the evaluation of the present state and prediction of future directions, aiding in better management of urban territories with more sustainable practices. To achieve this, the use of questionnaires and semi-structured interviews with key stakeholders, managers, and users of urban rivers provides essential insights (Berque, 1994;Coy, 2013;Verbrugge, 2019;Sousa et al, 2022).…”