130 Ecology and Applied Environmental Science
6.8.2 Streams in the cities
An element that enriches the natural environment within the city and at the
same time links it to the periurban natural space is rivers or streams with
intermittent flow. Stream and river beds in the city:
• Channel off flood waters
• Serve as ventilators that contribute to air renewal in the city
• Are conducive to the development of natural vegetation and fauna
• Form important landscapes of aesthetic and ecological value
• Help create a milder microclimate
Urban activities and interventions must not endanger the unity and natural quality of intermittent streams. This is not only an aesthetic but also
a practical necessity, since a stream is able to offer protection from floods
when it remains in as natural a state as possible. The core of a stream must
be protected, along with a sizeable zone on either side of its banks. Even
the areas adjoining the stream must be regarded as a transitional zone and
must necessarily constitute part of the overall protection plan. Integrated
planning must allow for technical improvements and plantings that stretch
along the length of the stream course, from its sources in the mountains to
the lowland basins. Planting suitable species on banks that have suffered
from human interventions, creating natural filters for debris, and maintaining open streamside spaces in the urban fabric to enable them to act
as basins to mitigate flooding are elements that help maintain the stream
as a physical entity in harmonious coexistence with the city. In selected
places along the stream’s course, multiuse elements that will act as poles
of attraction of a seasonal nature can be incorporated in such a way as to
avoid disturbing the stream’s distinctive features and hydrological functionality. Such elements include pedestrian paths, observation posts, small
amphitheatre-like spaces, lightweight structures for children to play in,
open-air exhibitions, etc. Specified points of entry and pedestrian paths are
necessary to ensure the protection of the site’s natural quality despite the
presence of numerous visitors.
6.8.2.1 Streams in a Mediterranean City: The Case of Athens
Historically, water has been a decisive parameter for the movement of people
and goods and the location of settlements. Streams in Greece have always
been used as thoroughfares. A French traveller commented in 1853 that:
The local inhabitants avoided building roads, wherever the water was
kind enough to assume this task; in this country, where man seldom
runs counter to the work done by nature, streams are kings’ highways,
6.8.2 Streams in the cities
An element that enriches the natural environment within the city and at the
same time links it to the periurban natural space is rivers or streams with
intermittent flow. Stream and river beds in the city:
• Channel off flood waters
• Serve as ventilators that contribute to air renewal in the city
• Are conducive to the development of natural vegetation and fauna
• Form important landscapes of aesthetic and ecological value
• Help create a milder microclimate
Urban activities and interventions must not endanger the unity and natural quality of intermittent streams. This is not only an aesthetic but also
a practical necessity, since a stream is able to offer protection from floods
when it remains in as natural a state as possible. The core of a stream must
be protected, along with a sizeable zone on either side of its banks. Even
the areas adjoining the stream must be regarded as a transitional zone and
must necessarily constitute part of the overall protection plan. Integrated
planning must allow for technical improvements and plantings that stretch
along the length of the stream course, from its sources in the mountains to
the lowland basins. Planting suitable species on banks that have suffered
from human interventions, creating natural filters for debris, and maintaining open streamside spaces in the urban fabric to enable them to act
as basins to mitigate flooding are elements that help maintain the stream
as a physical entity in harmonious coexistence with the city. In selected
places along the stream’s course, multiuse elements that will act as poles
of attraction of a seasonal nature can be incorporated in such a way as to
avoid disturbing the stream’s distinctive features and hydrological functionality. Such elements include pedestrian paths, observation posts, small
amphitheatre-like spaces, lightweight structures for children to play in,
open-air exhibitions, etc. Specified points of entry and pedestrian paths are
necessary to ensure the protection of the site’s natural quality despite the
presence of numerous visitors.
6.8.2.1 Streams in a Mediterranean City: The Case of Athens
Historically, water has been a decisive parameter for the movement of people
and goods and the location of settlements. Streams in Greece have always
been used as thoroughfares. A French traveller commented in 1853 that:
The local inhabitants avoided building roads, wherever the water was
kind enough to assume this task; in this country, where man seldom
runs counter to the work done by nature, streams are kings’ highways,