Saving Lakes

"Cities are not just brick and mortar; they represent the dreams, aspirations, and hopes of societies."
UN Habitat (2008)

Urban lakes are part of many of the cities we live in. They are often intricately bound with the city's social fabric, valued for direct utility purposes such as drinking water provision, or for their aesthetic, historical, cultural, and religious significance. However, oftentimes in spite of their unique spatial, socio-cultural, and economic value and 'relationship' with the city, urban lakes end up as receptacles for waste, or are infilled for development.

This book traces the socio-cultural and technological dimensions at play for the protection and remediation of a tropical urban lake, and how these dimensions guide the design of need-based solutions. It explores design requirements based on the need for sensitivity to religious and cultural norms, social values and aesthetic requirements. First-hand experiences of the writers in planning and executing an urban lake remediation project in a fast-growing city and a UNESCO heritage site, are drawn as practical examples. The lessons learnt can find application in other lakes of cultural significance in tropical regions.

Contents:Introduction:Urban Lakes as a Socio-Cultural ComplexChallenges for Urban Lakes in Tropical SettingsOverview of the BookLake and the City: Inter-Relationships:Influence of Physical CharacteristicsHistory MattersValuing the Kandy LakeWho 'Owns' an Urban Lake?:Management of an Urban LakeInstitutional Synergies and Conflicts for Lake Pollution ManagementUrban Lakes in Changing Socio-Economic and Environmental Contexts:The Ever-Changing Kandy CityKandy Lake Pollution: A Multi-Faceted ProblemDesign and Implementation of Solution for Kandy Lake Pollution Management:Challenges for Lake Pollution ManagementOverall ApproachConclusion and Reflections:Post-Project ObservationsReflections on the Lessons Learned and Path Ahead
Readership: Governments, local authorities, policy-makers or trade professionals dealing or working with the development and/or preservation of urban waterbodies; Activists or members of the general public concerned about the restoration or preservation of urban water supplies.
Urban Lake;Pollution;Culture;Heritage;Technology;Floating Wetlands;Wastewater Treatment;Citizen Engagement00