A River Reborn

An explorative landscape architecture design focussed on restoring natural river dynamics for the Nile River Basin

Master thesis (2023)

Authors

H. Huijboom Architecture and the Built Environment

Contributors

S. Nijhuis Landscape Architecture - Architecture and the Built Environment (supervisor 1)
F.L. Hooimeijer Environmental Technology and Design - Architecture and the Built Environment (supervisor 2)
P.S. van der Putt Public Building and Housing Design (coach)
Faculty
Architecture and the Built Environment
Copyright: © 2023 Hilde Huijboom
Resilience Africa Landscape Architecture River River system Nile Nile River Basin
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Published Date

03-11-2023

Language

English

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Faculty

Architecture and the Built Environment

Abstract

The River Nile has been a lifeline for northeastern Africa for thousands of years, supporting the growth of civilization, agriculture, and trade. The history of the Nile can be traced back to ancient times. The fertile banks of the Nile have supported the civilization of the ancient Egyptians. Since Egypt received almost no rain, the ancient Egyptians worshiped the river and considered the water from the Nile as the source of life. The Greek historian Herodotus has written, “Egypt is the gift of the Nile”. The ancient Egyptians developed ways to make perfect use of the gift of water, a complex system of irrigation to irrigate their fields to produce large amounts of crops to support the growing population. The Nile also played a crucial role in trading routes in the region, goods were transported to the Mediterranean Sea and then traded throughout the ancient world. The relationship between people and the Nile was symbiotic during these ancient times. A harmonious balance between men and nature. For five thousand years, nature has dominated the river’s constitution and functions, but from the mid-nineteenth century to today, different countries and regimes have increasingly influenced the Nile River system. Ambitious water management of big irrigation projects and the building of large dams has resulted in an imbalance in the relationship between the river, delta, sea, and people. The landscape of the Nile River Basin has changed from dynamic and natural, to a highly controlled and obstructed river.The Nile faces multiple threats, including pollution, climate change, and overuse. The highly controlling mentality is causing these threats to accelerate, and increasing the overall decline in the resilience of the basin. This graduation project aims to evaluate the effectiveness of landscape architecture design interventions in reintroducing natural dynamics in the Nile River Basin and assess their potential to enhance the basin's ecological, and socio-economic value, hydrological functioning, and overall resilience.