Rivers are vital natural resources. They became the
starting point of most civilizations simply by
providing men with drinking water, the means of
irrigation and fishing. Rivers were also used to
produce energy. Nowadays, they improve the look of
urban landscapes and create natural green belts that
cleanse the air.
Unfortunately, these vital sources have been
neglected in present-day Iran. Riverbanks with huge
potential for improving urban landscapes have
reduced to a mess and in some older cities like
Shoushtar and Dezful installations like watermills
and ancient bridges dating back to the Sassanide era
are falling to decay.
Undoubtedly, the way out of the current problem is to
consider the principles of sustainable architectural
development and use them in development activities
in and around riverbanks. In this developmental
study, we will attempt to describe these principles
before introducing various approaches to draw a
comprehensive plan for the creation of appropriate
green belts across riverbanks that would also serve as
dynamic urban centers.
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