An Approach to Sustainable Landscape on Rivers

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.