River Valley as a Hydrological/Urban Dynamic System in the Structure of the Contemporary City

Contemporary tendencies in shaping river valleys in cities constitute a clash and overlap of numerous aspects of contemporary urban planning. The range and diversity of interventions depict the whole array of new urban landscapes, the superior quality of which is constituted by the ecological aspect. Growing climatic changes, as well as limits of the natural environment within urban structures, pose special requirements for urban sections of river valleys. Urban strategies and projects proposed for these sections must face problems related to water resources management, and at the same time, they need to be activators of the new quality of the city in the context of its competitiveness. This paper focuses on two fundamental tendencies in designing river valleys in cities: anti-flood control, and increasing the share of the natural environment in the urban structure.