Reclaiming and Rewilding River Cities for Outdoor Recreation (Estuaries of the World)

The introduction of sports and recreational facilities into natural environments calls for reflection on their impact on fragile ecosystems. This book is unique in providing an interdisciplinary approach to the ecological restoration of urban and industrial degraded habitats and their use by nearby city-dwellers. For the first time ecologists, sociologists and anthropologists have worked together on particularly sensitive ecosystems such as rivers and estuaries to propose recovery strategies that allow their basic ecological functions to be restored, and which can benefit local populations through nature activities. Nonetheless, the use of natural spaces calls for the building of sustainable towns. This is why this book is distinctive in considering quality of life and well-being as stated objectives of modern river towns. Recently, leisure time has become a part of urban rhythms. In order to favour personal development, an extensive palette of leisure activities is considered by the authors: * bird watching * entertainment * sports * culture Many aspects including physical and psychological attributes in relation to the contemporary socio-political fabric are dealt with. While creating areas of freedom, landscaping also induces certain forms of practice and encourages certain social skills. Conversely, the book questions certain types of management based on mass consumption. Don’t they, in the end, aim to satisfy needs that are impermanent and shallow? The image of the contemporary town relies on urban planning projects which, in a global economy, seek to capture the interest of tourists and local populations. How can suitable, diligent planning be successfully combined with both creative design and ecological care? This book demonstrates how biology and sociology can (and should) work in harmony in order to promote an ecosystem approach to environmental management. Front Matter ....Pages i-v Introduction: Reclaiming and Rewilding River Cities for Outdoor Recreation (Charly Machemehl, Olivier Sirost, Jean-Paul Ducrotoy)....Pages 1-7 Cities and Their Waterways (Christian Lévêque)....Pages 9-16 With Rivers to the Sea: Ecological Restoration of Rivers and Estuaries and Nature-Based Activities (Jean-Paul Ducrotoy)....Pages 17-28 Behind Good Ecological Status, the Quest to Reconquer Water Territories (Olivier Sirost, Charly Machemehl)....Pages 29-37 Planning and Designing Facilities that Enhance Rivers and Encourage the Development of Tourist and Recreational Spaces: Urban Promenades (Sylvie Miaux, Maxime Demers-Renaud)....Pages 39-45 Outdoor Leisure Activities at Odds with the City? Arcachon Bay and the Massif Des Calanques (Ludovic Ginelli)....Pages 47-54 “On the Conquest of Wild Nature”... But What Is Meant by “Nature”? (Sarah-Jane Krieger)....Pages 55-60 The Darsena di Milano (Italy): ‘Restoration’ of an Urban Artificial Aquatic Environment Between Citizens’ Hopes and Municipal Projects (Laura Verdelli, Noémie Humbert)....Pages 61-74 Grenoble, the River City Facing the Mountains (End Nineteenth Century-1930s) (Michaël Attali, Natalia Bazoge)....Pages 75-80 The Role and Significance of the Recreational Reconquest of Port Spaces: Rouen (France) Reinvention at the Neck of the Estuary (Damien Féménias, Olivier Sirost, Barbara Evrard)....Pages 81-85 Recreational Activities, Economic and Territorial Development: Caen (France) in the Reconquest of its River? (Sébastien Bourdin, Yann Rivoallan)....Pages 87-98 Bordeaux’s Playful and Sporty Maritime Life: A Revolution of Venues and Activities (Jean-Pierre Augustin)....Pages 99-104