Author(s): Shoji Fukuoka
Linked Author(s): Shoji Fukuoka
Keywords: No Keywords
Abstract: The most important role of a river is to safely convey floodwaters downstream,protecting humanlife and property.Recently,people have come to demand not only functionality but also gentleness and amenity from their social capitalimprovement.In cities,with rivers being one of the few types of richly natural spaces,harmony with the naturalenvironment is also demanded of flood-control projects. It is a welcome development that authorities in charge of river works are actively promoting such projects as thoseinvolving close-to-nature river development that incorporates the needs of people and animals. Trees and other plants in a channel play an important role in the river's ecosystem and scenc beauty,and theimportance of this plant life increases in proportion to the scale of projects undertaken in a river.Conventionalflood-control projects,because of their overemphasis on functionalitywere unable to take full advantage of a river'snatural functions.This was because(top priority being given to the protection of life and property from natural disaster)of the lack of accumulated technology for determining what kind of external-force conditions and channel conditions一balanced with the necessity of saety during flooding二would make possible the development of a close-to-nature river.This paper discusses river vegetation not only in terms of its role in river environment,but also new river technologyfor flood-control measure using such vegetation as a natural material in bank and levee protection.1)²)
Year: 1993