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RIVERS AS CULTURAL AND MEETING POINTS
SOME REASONS FOR SUCCESS
Jean-Paul BRAVARD
Depa men o Geog aphy, Uni e si y Lumiè e-Lyon 2
F ench Uni e si a y Ins i u e
U ban i e on s a e an impo an ype o inland wa e on , a he con ac be ween u -
ban dis ic s and i e s. In de eloped coun ies, mos adi ional ac i i ies along ci y i e
banks ha e disappea ed, wi h he ise o mode n economy. Exchanges o all ypes o go-
ods, ac i i ies such as washing and ba hs, leisu e, e c… ha e p og essi ely anished since
he ea ly XX h cen u y because he ole o i e has been dec easing in economy. Du ing
he las 20-30 yea s howe e , hese a eas ha e been he a ge s o ac i e eno a ion poli-
cies a e decades o de elic ion. Reconques began in he la e 1970ʼs and widely expan-
ded h oughou he wo ld, in esponse o social demand and o public policies aiming a
imp o ing he image o ci ies. Wa e on s a e being ehabili a ed, equen ly using con-
en ional a chi ec u al p ocedu es and s anda dized zoning p ocedu es, bu wi hou any
gua an y o success conce ning accep a ion by people, despi e hea y in es men s.
1. FROM FORMER RIVER ATTRACTIVITY TO DERELICTION IN DEVELO-
PED COUNTRIES
Ri e s we e ema kably a ac i e places du ing he indus ial e a because mos anspo -
a ion used wa e ways ins ead o e es ial oads, which we e unsecu e and slow. Ci y
wa e on s we e places o exchange, o s o age, while ci y dwelle s used he i e because
i p o ided wa e o human uses. Fo ins ance, in Rome, wo ha bou s we e a he ou ski s
o he ci y: he Ripe a (small bank) ha bou ups eam o he inland ade, and he Ripa
G ande downs eam o exchanges wi h Os ia sea ha bou . Be o e he cons uc ion o he
“mu aglioni” ollowing he 1870 fl ood, he A enula beach loca ed on he le bank o he
Te e e Ri e ups eam o he Sis o B idge, was used by people o he ci y. In he middle
o he XIX h c., he Pope Pie IX allowed men o swim eely be ween 8 a.m. and 8 p.m.
Ri e banks in Lyons we e used by wash boa s, public ba hs, fi sh boa s, and o cou se by
all kinds o s o age du ing he la e XIX h c. (s one, sand, beams, wine, e c…), he Rhône
i e and i s ibu a y he Saône being majo means o anspo a ion a he ime (Bé he-
mon e Pelle ie , 1990; Pelle ie , 2002). In Pa is, he Seine Ri e was he hea o he ci y
du ing he La e XVII h c., wi h houses on he main b idge and g ea ac i i y on he i e
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RÍOS Y CIUDADES EUROPEAS: ESPACIOS NATURALES, CULTURALES Y PRODUCTIVOS
(Beaudoin, 1989). A la ge pie was buil o economic exchange, also o pedes ians and
ca s, and boa s o washing clo hes. The landscape o he Seine Ri e was ans o med
by Napoleon 1s who ous ed wo kshops om he banks and fl oa ing mills (1807) om
he i e , eplacing hem wi h hea y pie s in o de o de elop la ge scale ade. Then, he
Seine Ri e became a majo axis o public anspo a ion un il he ea ly XX h c.: in 1867,
60 boa s we e p oduced du ing he Wo ld Fai o anspo 20 millions passenge s. Du ing
he 1900 Wo ld Fai , 105 boa s anspo ed 42 millions passenge s (Guille me, 1990). All
ci ies si ua ed along la ge i e s expe ienced his kind o economic g ow h and main ained
s ong links wi h hei wa e on s which we e hei economic backbones.
Wha hen we e he main causes leading o he abandon o i e banks du ing he ea ly
XX h c., in mos ci ies in de eloped coun ies?
- Flooding imposed he cons uc ion o high p o ec i e walls, like in Rome, Toulo-
use, e c…Fo ins ance, in Rome, ollowing he 1870ʼ fl ood (3300 cumecs, o a
1 in 200 yea s fl ood), an embankmen was concei ed by he enginee Cane ani
was cons uc ed be ween 1876 and 1926, along wi h he ex ac ion o mos o
he ancien s one blocks om o me b oken b idges.
- Pollu ion om ac o ies and sewe s discou aged ci y dwelle s o use u ban i-
e s. Ins ead o infi l a ing in o he g ound, human ejec ions we e collec ed and
anspo ed o i e s which we e conside ed as na u al sewe s. Pollu ion had o
be aken away om he ci ies, e y ea ly since he Cloaca maxima was buil
as ea ly as he VI h c. BC in ancien Rome in o de o d ain he swamps in he
lowlands whe e he o um was o be buil , and also o clean up his dis ic .
- The success o oad anspo a ion (bicycles…) dec eased he ela i e in e es
o i e s while he quali y o s ee and oad su aces imp o ed and educe a-
el ime ac oss ci ies.
- Some ca as ophic e en s, such as he impac o he 1910 fl ood o he Seine Ri-
e changed he usage o i e banks, which we e hen seen as less a ac i e.
The o me a ac i eness o Eu opean i e s may be compa ed wi h he p esen a ac ion
o i e s in de eloping coun ies. Indeed, mos o he i e ine ci ies in de eloping coun-
ies a e a ac i e and could he e o e be conside ed as models o de eloped coun ies.
Bu wha is his a ac i eness due o, and wha is i s social cos o people li ing along
banks in de eloping coun ies? In mos cases, hese pic u esque landscapes ( o ou is s)
a e landscapes o po e y and illness. The i e banks and he i e s hemsel es may be
places o eely a ailable land and ew cons ain s, hus a ac ing he poo es inges
o he popula ion, such as ecen mig an s. Fo ins ance, in Hué (Vie Nam), sampans
p o ide cheap anspo a ion o sand, wood and fi sh. Au ho i ies y o fi x sampan people
inside he ci y, o cing hem o lea e he i e which is adi ionally hei home. Al hough
clea ing he sampans om he i e is pa o a ou ism de elopmen policy, i in ac
emo es a key scenic elemen o m he landscape ha wes e ne s a e seeking... while he
UNESCO ecognizes he cul u al in e es o he i e li e and scene y.
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RIVERS AS CULTURAL AND MEETING POINTS SOME REASONS FOR SUCCESS
2. SOME REASONS FOR SUCCESSFUL POLICIES OF RECONQUEST IN
EUROPE
Gi en ha public policies a e mo e o less s anda dized, o en cos ly, and some imes un-
success ul in ede eloping ci y wa e on s, a challenging ques ion would be o iden i y
wha ac o s may explain he p esen a ac i eness o some u ban i e s in indus ialized
coun ies. In esponse, we will b iefl y conside ou successi e opics:
1 - Ci y i e on s as es imony o p es igious his o y
2 - The i e i sel as a scenic a ac ion
3 - Some places o na u e in he hea o ci ies
4 - The i e bank as a new a ac i e place o ci y dwelle s
2.1. Ci y i e on s as es imony o p es igious his o y
His o ic ci ies o Eu ope house monumen s and p es igious buildings o en da ing back
o he Middle Ages, ha a e equen ly loca ed nea he i e on s o hese ci ies. Mo e
gene ally, Eu opean coun ies ha e buil up magnifi cen wa e on s h ough he cen u-
ies. Fo ins ance, he ci y o Ve ona on he banks o he Adige Ri e , I aly, displays i s
p es igious Roman b idge and i s medie al cas le. G ea achie emen s can be admi ed in
ich ci ies buil along canals, like B ugge and Venice. In some cases, au ho i ies planned
he scene y as a demons a ion o glo y, like in London and Budapes ( he pa liamen ), o
Sa agossa wi h he amous Vi gin del Pila efl ec ing in he Eb o i e (Adiego Adiego,
2002) o he “Puen e de pied a” wi h i s u banis ic signifi cance du ing he La e Middle
Ages (I anzo Munio, 2000), e c…
In hese ci ies, he wa e on i sel is a show, an imp essi e, li ing landscape o be admi-
ed while boa ing he i e o walking he banks on ei he side o he i e . Boa ing he
i e is a way o con empla e p es igious banks, o summa ize he his o y o a ci y, o di e
in o glo ious pas epochs… The ocus is no on he i e i sel bu on i s banks. The i e
is he s age, an open a enue allowing he show o be pe o med. The English w i e John
Russell s a ed abou Pa is : i is « The only ci y… in which a g ea i e has been used
o mile a e mile, on igh bank and le , as he na u al cen e o a wo k o a » (
Pa is
,
1960). A i e is an a enue summa izing he pas o a ci y. In Se illa, he mos e oca i e
s e ch is loca ed be ween Isabel II B idge and San Telmo B idge, wi h i s g ani e s one
pa ing and he golden walls made o limes one blocks ecalling C is obal Colonʼs ships.
On he opposi e bank, he subu b o T iana eminds he p es igious his o y o disco e ies
and sea ade since Magellan le his bank in 1519. The magnifi cen and quie wa e on
displays wo s o ied houses deco a ed wi h ado ned balconies. One o hem was once he
“Uni e sidad de los Ma ean es” whe e cap ains ained om he XVI h o he XVIII h c.
Many o hem b ing o memo y celeb a ed o e os. The o me pie o T iana is a majo
“place o memo y” in Eu ope whe eas he de elopmen o mode n buildings along i s
downs eam s e ch can be eg e ed.
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RÍOS Y CIUDADES EUROPEAS: ESPACIOS NATURALES, CULTURALES Y PRODUCTIVOS
2.2. The i e o he necessa y scene y
In some ci ies, he i e i sel is he scenic a ac ion, wha e e he quali y o he wa e -
on may be. Because o he
genius loci
o pa icula places, made o sub le kinds o
p ese ed na u al condi ions, o excep ional design, o espec o he pas ,
- wa e may be an in i a ion o a el, exo ic
- wa e may be eleased om social cons ain s
- wa e may be d eam, e o ic o some au ho s
- wa e may be aes he ic, along wi h na u al componen s ( ees, weeds) and spe-
cifi c ag ances.
He e he i e is con empla ed o i sel , o i s own signifi cance in he ci yscape. « Why
do people like o ha e such and such u ban p ojec ? I belie e ha , in all imes, i e ine
de elopmen s mus o e he eeling o a igh , di ec and con inuous linkage be ween
indi iduals and he wa e as a el, wa e as exo ism, and wa e as a d eam » (H. Mo is-
se e, 1995)
Fo ins ance along he Akagawa Ri e in Kyo o (Japan), he o me na iga ion canal
(1601) no longe ca ies any boa s, bu o ms a key scenic elemen o as fl owing wa e
unning close o he main i e , wi h i s mi o -like eaches sus ained by wei s ha can be
c ossed by pedes ians. A Suzhou, in he del a o he Yangzi Ri e (China), people o all
ages look on as boys fi sh o gold fi sh below a b idge… People also need eely a ailable
spaces o leisu e ac i i ies such as fi shing o jus d eaming, as exemplifi ed by i e banks
along he Rhône Ri e in Lyons…
Du ing he Edo pe iod, he Sumida Ri e in Tokyo was he « fl oa ing wo ld » ( he Budd-
his me apho o li e in he ci y), wi h:
- sac ed places ( emples) and elega ed a eas (p os i u ion and pollu ion)
- places o wo k and places o es and en e ainmen
- a place associa ing cons ain s and eedom (Waley, 1990)
As he Sumida became hea ily indus ialized, his adi ional li e p og essi ely disap-
pea ed du ing he Meiji e a and ough he 1950-70ʼs. In 1985, Tokyo ci y decided o
ehabili a e he Sumida Ri e , choosing Pa is as a model o pa ne ship. The key-wo ds
o he p ojec we e :
- Anima ion
- His o y and cul u e
- Beau y
- Familia i y
- Secu i y
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RIVERS AS CULTURAL AND MEETING POINTS SOME REASONS FOR SUCCESS
2.3. Some places o na u e in he hea o ci ies
Also, de eloped wa e on s may p ese e si es o ecological in e es . In Lyon, sand depo-
si ed du ing fl oods builds some na u el pa ches in o he landscape, p o iding na ow bea-
ches a ac i e o people, and some woody la e al ba s in he wides eaches. Bea e s ha e
buil hu s down own, while ducks and swans a e now common along he i e s e ches. In
Rome, he old i e walls and he pie s a e conside ed as « u ban cli s » o majo in e es
by en i onnemen alis s. A sea gull nes s in he walls, while 30 plan species can g ow in
he c acks hanks o he Ge man wasp which ensu es he dissemina ion o seeds. Ups eam
o he ci y, om Ma eo i B idge o Renascimien o B idge, he I alian Wo ld Wildli e Fund
has designa ed a « na u e sanc ua y » we e palm ees, whi e willows, and a a ie y o spe-
cies g owing on hick deposi s o loam whe e kingfi she s and blackbi ds dwell.
2.4. The i e bank, an a ac i e place o mode n ci y dwelle s
I is ema kable ha some ci ies ha e success ully main ained he equen a ion o hei
i e on s. Co ien es, A gen ina, has buil a wa e on along he Pa ana Ri e du ing
he XX h c., no ou s anding in i sel , bu mos popula . Thousands o people ga he along
his « paseo » each Sa u day e ening, d inking ma é and cha ing. Wha a e he easons
behind his success?
- The beau y o his wide i e (11 000 cumecs), he i e on a enue being al-
mos a sea sho e
- An his o ical memo ial de o ed o he glo y o he coun y acing a kind o inne
o me on ie
- Mo e p obably, jus he pleasu e o sha ing some hing wi h o he people, wi hou
much espec o he place i sel , bu he i e p o ides he scene y and he show
could no pe o m elsewhe e in Co ien es
To a ac people o wa e on s, mos ci ies de elop i e banks wi h ameni ies o pedes-
ians and cyclis s. The bank is a ee-access space o leisu e, an open co ido connec-
ing i e dis ic s, some imes a place o cul u e (a kind o « cul u al elease al e »). In
Pa is, a ga den o sculp u es was c ea ed, bu did no ha e much success. In Mon eal, he
banks o Lachine canal ha e been ede eloped as a new co ido o his kind o spo i e
leisu e. Lyon did he same on he le bank o he Rhône Ri e o day ime use. In he
ea ly 1990ʼs, his bank used o welcome he Rhône i e eas s o ganized by he CNR
(Na ional Rhone Ri e C°). The so-called: « Lyon-Ri e gauche » p ojec should clea
he lowe pie o ca pa ks and a ac mo e people (wi h lanes o di e en ypes o use),
when comple ed in 2006.
Ri e banks may be a good place o o ganize shows. Fo ins ance, in he ups eam subu b
o Lyons, a high block-made wei was buil in 1995 ac oss he Rhône Ri e o acili a e
he c ossing o he i e by a new mo o way. Suddenly, in 2003, his whi e wa e si e was

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RÍOS Y CIUDADES EUROPEAS: ESPACIOS NATURALES, CULTURALES Y PRODUCTIVOS
designa ed as a new « u ban spo » o ee s yle kayake s: he so-called « Lyon Ri e
Fes i al » was launched wi h some success.
Imi a ing Be lin, summe beaches expe ience inc easing success in F ance. In 1996,
Sain -Quen in was he fi s ci y o p opose an a ifi cial summe beach and equen a ion
ose o 420,000 p. in 2003 ( o a cos o 60,000 eu os). In 2002, down own Pa is launched
i s beach along he igh bank o he Seine, a ac ing 3,000 000 p. a a cos o 2,000 000
eu os. Lyons began in 2003 wi h 250 000 p., along wi h Tou coing (close o he ci y o
Lille), wi h i s 100,000 p… So a , wen y F ench ci ies ha e adop ed he concep o sum-
me beaches. Indeed, summe beaches enable new social con ac s, o e an al e na i e o
emo e a el o people who mus wo k in summe ime o who canno a o d holidays.
These de elopmen s a e also expec ed o dec ease social p oblems in subu bs (- 20% in
S Quen in in July 2004).
Ano he in e es ing poin is whe he i e banks a e jus designa ed o become a ac i e pla-
ces o ci y dwelle s, o whe he hey a e seen by ci y planne s as pa o wide ope a ions o
u ban ma ke ing. In many cases, hese cos ly de elopmen wo ks aim a imp o ing he ima-
ge o he ci y as a whole (Gé a do , 2004). Some imes hey a e concei ed in pa allel wi h
p i a e ini ia i es o housing p ojec s, o in he pe spec i e o specula ing on he inc eased
alue o land and fl a s along hese ehabili a ed sho es. Cleaned up a oyos in Saigon, skyli-
nes along he Yangzi Ri e a Yibin (Sichuan) o Shanghai display in e es ing examples o
spon aneous adap a ion o in es o s o eme ging si ua ions, e en in de eloping coun ies.
3. CONCLUSION
I is likely ha he e is no uni e sal ecipe o success in wa e on ede elopmen . The e y
na u e o he i e and he ichness o his o ical he i age play majo oles indeed, as well as
he quali y o ehabili a ion p ocedu es, bu he e emains some hing imp obable o unp e-
dic able ha pe ains o peoples choices, o imagina i e ini ia i es, o eme ging si ua ions.
Hence he u u e should be le open in i e on de elopmen p ojec s. I is be e o be
p uden and modes o a oid impeding on he exp ession o new possibili ies in he u u e.
4. REFERENCES
ADIEGO ADIEGO E., 2002 : Visión his ó ica y u bana de los íos en Za agoza. In P. de
la Cal y F. Pellice (Coo ds.) :
Ríos y Ciudades. Apo aciones pa a la ecupe ación
de los íos y ibe as de Za agoza
, p. 251-271.
BEAUDOUIN F., 1989 :
Pa is/Seine
. Pa is, Na han, 190 p.
BETHEMONT J., PELLETIER J., 1990 : Lyon e ses fl eu es : des be ges pe dues aux
quais e ou és.
Re ue de Géog aphie de Lyon
, n° sp. Villes e fl eu es au Japon e
en F ance, p. 30-307.
– 33 –
RIVERS AS CULTURAL AND MEETING POINTS SOME REASONS FOR SUCCESS
BRAVARD J.-P., 2004 : le aconnemen du paysage fl u ial de Lyon : choix u banis iques
e hé i ages de lʼhis oi e hyd o-mo phologique.
GERARDOT C., 2004 : Les élus lyonnais e leu fl eu e, une econquê e en ques ion.
Géoca e ou
, 79,1, p. 75-84.
GUILLERME A., 1990 : Le es amen de la Seine.
Re ue de Géog aphie de Lyon
, n° sp.
Villes e fl eu es au Japon e en F ance, p. 240-250.
IRANZO MUNIO M.T., 2000 : El puen e de pied a de Za agoza en la baja Edad Media :
la culminacion de un p oyec o ciudadano.
A ig ama
, 15, p. 43-60.
MORRISSETTE, J. : 1996 : Les po s des illes ici e ailleu s : des aménagemen s à
econqué i . Ac es des 9
e
En e iens du Cen e Jacques Ca ie :
Fleu e pa imoine.
Me e en aleu un fl eu e : pou quoi
? Québec, p. 85-89.
PELLETIER J., 2002 :
Pon s e quais de Lyon
, Lyon, Ed. lyonnaises dʼA e dʼHis oi e,
128 p.
WALEY P., 1990 : The Sumida, Changing pe cep ions o a i e .
Re ue de Géog aphie de
Lyon
, n° sp. Villes e fl eu es au Japon e en F ance, p. 261-275.
5. LISTE DES FIGURES
Figu e 1. Lyon i e es i al. A new spo o ee s yle kayaking on he Rhône in Lyon
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RÍOS Y CIUDADES EUROPEAS: ESPACIOS NATURALES, CULTURALES Y PRODUCTIVOS
Figu e 2. Ma ché fl o an -A oyo Ch. A fl oa ing ma ke on an a oyo a high ide, Saïgon.
An in ense ac i i y o exchange
Figu e 3. A oyo Kin T in. Poo dwellings along Kin T in a oyo, a low ide, Saïgon
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RIVERS AS CULTURAL AND MEETING POINTS SOME REASONS FOR SUCCESS
Figu e 4. Yibin- on dʼeau. A newly de eloped wa e on along he a ac i e Yangzi
Ri e in Yibin, Sichuan.