Urban River Basin Enhancement Methods - Indicators of Success - Work Package 10

Tourbier, J. T. and Gersdorf, I. (2005) Urban River Basin Enhancement Methods - Indicators of Success - Work Package 10. Project Report. Dresden University of Technology.

Archive URBEM WP10.zip Download (3MB)

Abstract

Post Implementation Assessment (PIA) is a vital component of successful river rehabilitation (Kondolf 1995, Bruce-Burgess and Skinner 2002 a. o.). Although the need for PIA has been widely acknowledged, so far there has been little effort to evaluate the success, life-span, or cost-effectiveness of river rehabilitation projects (Olson and West 1989, Hillenbrand and Liebert 2001). Reasons given include the lack of planning and legislative requirements, insufficient resources for monitoring, methodological deficits, and the fear to possibly be confronted with project failures. Yet the benefits are considerable. A PIA will help to remove the ambivalence from river enhancement projects that have in the past been viewed to be more of an art than a science. The PIA process outlined here will pursue planners to follow a planning process with a clear statement of goals and objectives that can then be transferred into criteria to measure success. It will further require pre- and post implementation inventories of conditions, permitting a comparison, applying criteria to measure success. Only when such a comparison is made lessons can be learned, corrective actions can be taken and the state of the art be advanced. A PIA will also provide data for a substantiated documentation that can then be used in a stakeholder involvement process called for in the Water Framework Directives. “Urban River Post Implementation Assessment (URPIA)”, as outlined in the following reflects the three components of sustainability, expanding the assessment of rehabilitation of river ecology to also consider social and economic aspects. Socio-economic components including spatial planning and aesthetics especially apply to urban settings, where rivers have a role in shaping the quality of life for the city of tomorrow. The following report first summarises theoretical requirements of a PIA to enhance common understanding and provide the basis for the proposed method. Second a comprehensive but flexible framework to conduct an indicator based Urban River Post Implementation Assessment (URPIA) is outlined. Three materials are provided to support the establishment of a project specific set of indicators, with which effects, effectiveness and efficiency can be assessed: • Decision support chart for the establishment of a project specific set of indicators. • Hierarchies of ecological, social and economic criteria for urban river rehabilitation. • Indicator sheets, describing single indicators. The method is to be used in an interdisciplinary setting; therefore it is open to incorporate the knowledge and methods of diverse disciplines. It is permitting adjustment to the various conditions found at sites that differ throughout Europe. Test applications of the method have been done. Results have been used to refine the procedure.

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