River restoration as an element in sustainable urban development

In Bratislava (Slovakia), alongside the Danube River, there is a continuous green area of diverse character with enormous potential for quality of life in the city. A group of experts, enthusiasts and specialists for the Danube, architects and urban planners, natural scientists, water managers and conservationists formulated a vision of Bratislava's Danube Park (BDP). The vision is to create and protect a unique and extensive territory along the river with aesthetic natural and natural-close riverbanks in places of suitable morphological and hydraulic conditions along with connection of several branches back to the main Danube channel. Many spots of urban greenery are directly connected to this area, which could thus become its backbone, providing recreation and a resting place not only on the original bank of the Danube. The river in all its forms is the most important landscape element unifying this vast and varied territory. Besides the well-designed urbanized embankments, the character of the Danube River along with its hydromorphological and hydraulic parameters make it possible for Bratislava to have extensive riverbanks and inundation areas of natural character suitable for recreation, stay and movement of people near the river. The access of people in the area will be possible by walking and hiking trails, cycling routes as well as water routes in the river itself, along with branches for recreational water sports. The process of implementation will be gradual. The first step will be to interest citizens in vision-performing with the help of conceptual materials and studies. An important step will be to coordinate the city with the relevant state institutions, in particular with the river manager, with the other actors in the area along with the public, so that the vision of the final outcome is widely accepted and supported.