Living rivers, citizen participation, urban quality of life - EU project ReBioClim: Insight

In the midst of the summer heat, the EU project ReBioClim was launched in June 2024 under the motto ‘Summer is melting us - time to restore urban streams’. ReBioClim stands for the restoration of urban streams, biodiversity and climate resilience in cities.

As part of the project, researchers, local authorities and practitioners from five different countries are analysing urban streams in the four European cities of Senica (SK), Poznań (PL), Jablonec nad Nisou (CZ) and Dresden (DD) from an ecological and socially responsible perspective. Together with local residents and stakeholders, the aim is to make the watercourses more natural.

We can look back on an eventful first six months of the project:

• The project start in stylish Jablonec nad Nisou, including an excursion to the project stream (Bila Nisa) with a great and motivated project team from five different countries. (FOTO project team)
• The kick-off workshop in Prohlis in October at Dresden's Geberbach project stream, where over 30 different stakeholders from the Dresden city administration, associations, initiatives and research came together to gather information, network and get to know the stream and its (aquatic) inhabitants. As part of the workshop, Antje Dennewitz created a lively graphic recording for our project.
• Initial interviews with the residents of the Geberbach with interesting conversations and impulses for the redesign.
• The panel discussion with excursion in November at the Prohlis district office entitled ‘Masterplan Prohlis - Renaturation Geberbach’, with Jörg Lämmerhirt (Head of the Prohlis district office), René Herold (Head of the Dresden Environmental Agency), Prof. Dr Thomas Berendonk (Chair of Limnology, TU Dresden) and Dr Henriette John (Leibniz Institute of Ecological Urban and Regional Development, IOER). The event focussed on the vision for Prohlis and the Geberbach in the next ten years, including the renaturation of the Geberbach and the participation of local residents. During a subsequent excursion, the participants discovered insect larvae and other invertebrates in the Geberbach and learnt about aspects of an ‘edible city’.

• The workshop in the Bürgerhaus Prohlis (Palitzsch-Hof) as part of the exhibition Hydromedia - Seeing with Water, on the topic of ‘Streams in urban space’, in which the participants were able to get involved in planning themselves and model their visions and ideas for a stream redesign after an excursion to the stream including a short input.

There were central themes at all the opportunities for dialogue at and about the stream: Making the stream and its animals tangible for children and young people and thus laying the foundation for a more sensitive approach. Less rubbish at the stream. Encouraging participation so that as many people as possible feel involved.

We will take these and many other ideas and project ideas with us into the new year! In spring, we will carry out surveys with residents along the Geberbach. In the subsequent co-design workshops with all interested parties who would like to actively participate in the restoration of the Geberbach, we will develop innovative restoration ideas together.

Until then, we wish you a Merry Christmas and a peaceful end to the year. We are delighted that you are following our project and hope to meet you next year at a workshop or while planting trees.

The ReBioClim project team from the Chair of Limnology at TU Dresden:

Ulrike Haase, Nora Franzke, Marie Lüdeke, Thomas Berendonk