Meandering through cities: Adapting restoration frameworks for urban streams

There is a need for a framework to guide stream restoration that is adapted to the urban setting and that integrates environmental planning principles with ecological restoration principles. My methods to develop such a framework included drawing upon my direct experience with an urban stream restoration project in East Vancouver, British Columbia.;In this report, I provide an overview of the physical, hydrological, ecological and community planning considerations that are key to urban stream restoration. I develop an adaptive, ecosystem-based planning framework to guide groups through the restoration process. The stages of the framework are (1) Feasibility, (2) Planning, (3) Design, (4) Implementation, and (5) Monitoring. The framework is designed to be adaptive and participatory. The framework incorporates seven elements that are critical to the success of urban stream restoration projects. These elements are: (1) an understanding of geomorphic and ecological processes, (2) a watershed perspective, (3) clear, well-developed goals and objectives, (4) early stakeholder and public involvement, (5) political support, (6) effective communication and education, and (7) project monitoring and evaluation. (Abstract shortened by UMI.).