The good governance ride: pushing the envelope in urban flood management and river restoration

[this abstract was modified into a facilitated lunchtime discussion on Engaging Communities in Conservation] The Good Governance Ride — a public bike tour of restoration along Johnson Creek —demonstrates how city-led projects can challenge the status quo to deliver stronger outcomes for both people and Nature. Drawing on the West Lents Floodplain Restoration project, this talk highlights process-based restoration in the urban context with lessons in risk management ranging from geomorphic assessment to property acquisition to alternative contracting to adaptive management. Vivid imagery tells the story of project delivery and offers a sneak peek of the West Lents Floodplain as the restoration site experiences its first flood season. This presentation examines how rules in restoration design, project delivery, and municipal flood management are evolving. Through the lens of Abundance theory with an emphasis on “process in service of outcomes” we can see a bright future for watershed stewardship.