After directing numerous urban stream restoration projects, award-winning hydrologist Ann Riley has discovered that it is feasible to restore dynamic, functioning stream ecosystems in some of the most difficult, constrained urban settings. Restoring Neighborhood Streams is a detailed guide for restoring urban streams. The book follows nine case studies of long-term stream restoration projects in the northern California area, using 15-30 years of records. The lessons drawn can be applied in communities anywhere. Most of the case studies are located in working-class, lower to middle-income neighborhoods under similar economic and social pressures as other neighborhoods around the country. Riley draws out lessons from each of these case studies, paying attention to the historic, institutional, and social context of each project and calling on a spectrum of tools, including hydrologic, hydraulic engineering, fish and plant community biology, soil bioengineering, and community planning.

If designers, engineers, and the public are open to the idea of sustainable stream systems, then natural waterways have the potential to become an asset to the cities they occupy. Restoring Neighborhood Streams gives better solutions for restoration projects, as well as the tools to build better cities in the long term. Check out Chapter 1: "Is the Restoration of Urban Streams Possible?" below or click here