Assessing urban river restoration design using an integrated economic, social and environmental index

Urban river restoration is a potential approach to integrate existing urban drainage network with parks that create blue-green corridors along urban riverbanks. However, since cities have limited open spaces, river restoration must be approached in a specific way within the built environment, requiring an effective compromise that balances environmental, social, and economic priorities. In this context, this paper proposes the Integrated Socio-Economic and Environmental Ranking Index for Design Evaluation (I-SEER), using a multicriteria approach to assess the benefits derived from river restoration design alternatives. The Acari River Watershed, located in the city of Rio de Janeiro, Brazil, was selected as a case study to test this approach with two design alternatives: one focused on grey infrastructure and the other on a hybrid blue-green-grey system. The I-SEER indicated that the hybrid blue-green-grey system has greater potential to deliver multiple benefits compared to the design focused solely on grey infrastructure. Therefore, the proposed multicriteria assessment allows for the structuring of potential benefits for each design alternative and provides decision-makers with insights into their respective feasibility.