Methodology for the assessment of connectivity and comfort of urban rivers

Abstract

Urban rivers differ from natural rivers because of the direct connection they have with human habitat. Furthermore, riverbanks are public spaces that contribute to the interaction between natural and urbanized areas and between people from different socioeconomic background. Due to this significance, the main objective of this research was to provide a methodology for the construction of a toolbox that evaluates connectivity and comfort of urban riverbanks, so as to allow comparative visual and numeric analysis between different zones of the same river, distinct rivers in the same city and rivers in various cities. The proposal was based on the disaggregation of the concepts of connectivity and comfort, through the analysis of four dimensions: (a) Spatial and visual accessibility, (b) Continuity of the green corridor, (c) Condition of public space, and (d) Condition of the first built line, expressed in thirteen quantitative condition indicators. For validation, the toolbox was applied to five zones of the Tomebamba River of the city of Cuenca in Ecuador and a series of maps were generated allowing spatial visualization of the results. In addition, an Urban River Sustainability Index (URSI) was developed to reinforce the decision-making processes in planning and urban design.