Homepage | River Cities Network (RCN)

River Cities Network

A transdisciplinary and global network to promote ecologically and socially inclusive revitalization of rivers and waterways and the landscapes, cities and neighborhoods that co-exist with them

Read our manifesto

Urban bathing in the Rhône and Saône

Studio "Baignades Urbaines" aims to investigate the future trends and challenges of urban river bathing/swimming in metropolitan areas.

Take a dip

Colectivo Rescate Río San Pedro

The "Colectivo Rescate Río San Pedro in Quito" exemplifies the profound impact that civil society can have on the restoration and management of urban rivers.

Meet the collective

Events homepage

Book Talk

RCN Book Talk - In Praise of Floods by James C. Scott

Tue, May 12 2026, 3pm

Convert to your timezone

In our second book club event, we are inviting Aarti Kawlra (Academic Director of the Humanities Across Borders program at IIAS, based in Chennai) to lead a discussion of James C. Scott’s recent book, "In Praise of Floods: The Untamed River and the Life It Brings” (Yale University Press, 2025). Please join us on Teams on Tuesday, 12 May at 15:00 CEST for this hybrid event. All are welcome for this event: you do not have to read the book to join the talk!

Meeting

Rivers in Transition - Second RCN F2F Meeting

Tue, Apr 28 2026, 12pm

Convert to your timezone

Rivers in Transition, being held in Aswan (Egypt) in April 2026, will be the River Cities Network’s second face-to-face international convocation, following its inaugural event in Bangkok in November 2023. While the first meeting was held to consolidate the network and to plan its development, the Aswan event has been designed to address the way rivers across the planet are experiencing a range of transitions arising from human interventions and broader patterns of Anthropocene climate change, including global warming and sea level rise.

In Situ Graduate School

Mapping the Upper Nile: Reviving Nubian Heritage for a Sustainable Future

Mon, Apr 20 2026, 12pm

Convert to your timezone

Call for Participants for an international and multidisciplinary In-Situ Graduate School (ISGS).

A collaborative programme of the International Institute of Asian Studies (Leiden), University of Aswan, and the Fakhour Ana community-based foundation (Aswan)

ISGS dates: 20-26 April 2026

Go to the website of IIAS for detailed information about this call.

Blogs homepage

Wednesday, 12 November 2025 - 15:11

River Revitalization in Nairobi

One and a half years after devastating floods wiped out large stretches of riverside settlements along the Ngong River in Mukuru and Kayaba, Nairobi, the newly formed Ngong River Planning Consortium, together with the River Cities Network (RCN), IIAS, and the Southeast Asia Neighborhoods Network (SEANNET), gathered 15 experts in river revitalization from all over the world in Mukuru for an in-situ engagement project from 7-14 September 2025. The objective of the workshop was to help the Consortium foster learning across disciplines and sectors and to provide an opportunity to analyze and critique post-flooding river revitalization designs, while developing a multi-scalar framework for river basin planning.

Friday, 20 June 2025 - 10:28

"Living with the River in African and Asian Contexts" Roundtable

In this double roundtable for the third Africa-Asia: A New Axis of Knowledge (AA3) ConFest, panelists from Humanities Across Borders (HAB) and the River Cities Network (RCN) explored the ecological crisis in African and Asian contexts where they pursue their research and professional activities, from multiple perspectives in the humanities, social and natural sciences.

Monday, 4 November 2024 - 15:04

Dutch Diplomat visited Pulicat Lagoon Interpretation Center

The Netherlands Consul General to India, Mr. Ewout de Wit, based in Bangalore, visited the Pulicat village on 28-Aug-2024. It was his keen interest to know about Pulicat maritime history and its heritage that he visited the village. Architect Xavier Benedict, who has been maintaining the Pulicat Interpretation Centre since 2009, briefed the Consul General about the first Dutch administrative centre since 1602 till 1799. And also explained about the importance of the lagoon and its riverine ecosystem to the Southeast Coast of India. After the COVID lockdown, this is the first visit of the Dutch diplomat to Pulicat. It shows the importance of the place and its importance for maritime heritage.

Map