IOER Forum

Watercourses in cities have been overbuilt, channalised and degraded over years. However, in times of global warming, the loss of biodiversity and the densification of neighbourhoods, urban streams can provide valuable services. The watercourses with their banks form green and blue corridors through the city, providing cooling and fresh air into the city. They also provide a habitat for diverse flora and fauna. Last but not least, they are important recreational areas for people.

However, the restauration of watercourses in urban areas faces a number of challenges. Sometimes there is simply a lack of space for the stream, sometimes property rights to neighbouring land play a role or the parties involved have different interests. Issues of flood protection and water retention in the city and in the landscape cannot be neglected either.
The IOER Forum's 2024 autumn series will shed light on these and other aspects in three events. Two lectures will focus on the ‘green-blue infrastructure’ in our cities from a scientific and practical perspective. A field trip to the Geberbach stream in Dresden-Prohlis followed by a panel discussion will take a more concrete approach.

IOER Forums of the past

Spring Series 2024: Reinventing sustainability: The role of science, policy and space

Autumn Series 2023: No net land take - competition for land in cities, regions and landscapes

Spring Series 2023: Rethinking innovations - promoting sustainability and the common good