Blog
Beyond bodies of water: book shows how urban rivers shape cities and cultures
Launched on USP's Open Books Portal and organized by a researcher from USP's Institute of Architecture and Urbanism in São Carlos, the yearbook investigates how urban rivers influence culture, memory and city planning
Book covers teaching, research, and extension activities involving urban rivers - Photo: Reproduction//Rios Urbanos na Ibero-América
Although the expression “concrete jungle” is constantly used as a synonym for our big cities, we know that they are much more than concrete and bricks. In addition to the buildings in which we live and move around, there are green infrastructures, such as trees, and blue, such as rivers, which are also part of our metropolis’ life and history.
With this in mind, the Ibero-American thematic network RUN (Ríos Urbanos Naturalizados) was created in 2021 with the support of the Ibero-American Program of Science and Technology for Development (CYTED), bringing together fifteen institutions from different Ibero-American countries.
Recently launched on USP’s Open Books Portal, the book Rios Urbanos na Ibero-América: propostas teórico-conceituais e metodológicas is the second production of the RUN network. Unlike the first yearbook, published by Lusophone University, this volume proposes new theoretical and methodological approaches to river regeneration and risk minimization. The publication is available free of charge at this link.
The initiative is led by Carlos Smaniotto Costa, professor at Lusophone University and coordinator of the overall project. “RUN was approved in mid-2019, but the project stalled for two years. I received an invitation from colleague Carlos Smaniotto Costa. He wanted a network that addressed the issue of urban rivers,” Manoel Rodrigues Alves, a professor at USP’s Institute of Architecture and Urbanism (IAU) in São Carlos and the organizer of the new book, explains.
Carlos Smaniotto Costa, from Lusophone University, and Manoel Rodrigues Alves, from IAU USP - Photo: Reproduction/Youtube and IAU USP
Cover and pages of the book Rios Urbanos na Ibero-América: propostas teórico-conceituais e metodológicas, which is free to download - Photo: Reproduction/Open Books Portal
A multidisciplinary approach
According to Alves, RUN brings together researchers from various Ibero-American countries, including Brazil, Spain, Portugal, and other Latin American nations, in a collaborative effort that involves architects, geographers, environmentalists, and information technicians. “We tried to preserve the specificity of each analysis, but also to identify points in common. The network has its own unique approaches,” the professor explains.
The in-person symposia held annually in Colombia, Argentina, and Peru were essential in defining the conceptual axes of the book. Each chapter has been developed by at least two different institutions, reflecting the continuous exchange of knowledge that RUN promotes. “No text was produced by USP staff alone; all the publications were the result of institutional partnerships, [the idea was] to stimulate this knowledge exchange,” Alves points.
Organized into seven parts, the material explores everything from conceptual questions about nature and river heritage to the role of rivers in collective memory and cultural identity. It also analyzes how hydraulic infrastructures and urban interventions shape rivers and their territories, and also examines water governance, possible ecologies, and community empowerment strategies. “It’s not a yearbook produced by architecture professionals for architecture professionals. It has more scope,” the researcher says.
The proposal is to reach a wider audience, including urban planners, landscapers, educators, and citizens interested in river monitoring, citizen science, and co-creation.
One of the book's chapters deals with participatory methodologies for engaging the population in the preservation of Recanto das Nascente Park, in Belo Horizonte, Minas Gerais - Photo: Reproduction/Rios Urbanos na Ibero-América
Games, narratives and environmental justice
To discuss the topic of urban rivers, the researchers chose different approaches. One of them involves understanding how literature also helps to understand the role of rivers in shaping cities and their memories. This is what the chapter that analyzes O Outro Pé da Sereia, by Mozambican writer Mia Couto, proposes. In their analysis of the work, the authors demonstrate how the river, far from being merely a physical element, serves as a guiding thread for affections, disputes, and colonial and postcolonial thought.
In a playful tone, the material also presents innovative pedagogical tools, such as the PlanforFlooding educational game, designed for children between 4 and 8 years old, which teaches basic concepts about rivers, urban planning, and flood prevention. Created by RUN network’s researchers, the game bets on gamification as a strategy for training citizens from an early age, encouraging care for their territories and active participation in environmental decision-making.
Another example in the book presents the Recanto das Nascentes Park in Belo Horizonte, Minas Gerais. In the Betânia neighborhood, where nine springs of the Ribeirão Arrudas were covered by real estate development, the community mobilized to restore the degraded area. With the support of universities and the Mapas project, residents developed a participatory plan with community mapping and renaturalization actions. The old club, once turned into a landfill, now symbolizes resistance and environmental justice.
Other chapters explore the relationship between nature, conservation, and riverside memory, highlighting various types of conflicts related to water.
The importance of open access
Made available free of charge on USP’s Open Books Portal, the work reflects RUN’s commitment to disseminating knowledge widely and in an accessible manner. “Knowledge is there to be produced and disseminated. The portal is a great platform that enables this, offering this possibility,” the professor says.
For the expert, open access seeks to break down the barriers of knowledge restricted to academic circles and encourage dialogue between academia and society.
A third volume of the yearbook is scheduled for release this year, and new content is being planned, all of which will be made available open access. According to Alves, “it’s our stance, our goal, not to leave this knowledge restricted to the academic bubble, nor to turn it into an exclusive exchange between researchers”.
The e-book Rios Urbanos na Ibero-América: propostas teórico-conceituais e metodológicas is available at this link.
More information: https://run.ulusofona.pt/pt
English version: Nexus Traduções, edited by Denis Pacheco
Política de uso
A reprodução de matérias e fotografias é livre mediante a citação do Jornal da USP e do autor. No caso dos arquivos de áudio, deverão constar dos créditos a Rádio USP e, em sendo explicitados, os autores. Para uso de arquivos de vídeo, esses créditos deverão mencionar a TV USP e, caso estejam explicitados, os autores. Fotos devem ser creditadas como USP Imagens e o nome do fotógrafo.
A reprodução de matérias e fotografias é livre mediante a citação do Jornal da USP e do autor. No caso dos arquivos de áudio, deverão constar dos créditos a Rádio USP e, em sendo explicitados, os autores. Para uso de arquivos de vídeo, esses créditos deverão mencionar a TV USP e, caso estejam explicitados, os autores. Fotos devem ser creditadas como USP Imagens e o nome do fotógrafo.