Nature-Based Solutions (NbS) as a Sociotechnical Intervention in Urban River Restoration

Abstract

Urban river systems in the developing world are under increasing hydraulic, ecological, and social pressure; rapid urbanization, coupled with the dominance of rigid grey infrastructure, underscores the unsustainable trajectory of their development. The use of NbS in this paper is explored through an urban river rehabilitation project in Western Java, Indonesia. The qualitative study of integrated technological, ecological, and social perspectives was conducted via semi-structured interviews (n = 22), field observations, and document analysis. Participants included engineers, planners, government representatives, and local community stakeholders. From a flood-mitigation perspective, the findings indicate that NbS interventions, such as riparian vegetation, bioswales, and ecological pedestrian pathways, enhanced flood-mitigation performance. According to the project's technical documentation and a spatial comparison of comparable rainfall events, an estimated reduction of about 35% in the flooding area was identified. This study positions NbS as a socio-technical intervention within the paradigm of sustainable civil engineering and water-sensitive urban design. However, it also emphasizes contextual knowledge of NbS relevant to urban river management in developing cities.