Stream Restoration Projects: A Critical Analysis of Urban Greening

Stream restoration projects are discussed in the context of their larger social purposes. Using a political ecology framework (including some of its European threads), the author explores how stream restoration initiatives have been carried out to date in the US and offers some preliminary reflections on how they could do more to advance environmental equity goals. Several aspects of how the endeavour is being carried out may inhibit progressive change, and they include: the metrics used to evaluate potential projects; the technical and managerialist construction of the problem definition; the understanding of what constitutes 'urban;' and the organizational aspects of stream restoration projects. While many stream restoration projects have made important contributions to their communities, a lack of comprehensive databases undermines full programme evaluation. The author concludes that both material and rhetorical dimensions of the stream restoration endeavour may be undermining the larger goals.