ABSTRACT
Habitat revitalization in heavily modified water bodies of urban areas implies major challenges: The directive of attaining a good ecological potential sets high demands for development objectives that bridge beneficiary claims and ecological improvement. In the present case study, structural restoration of the ecosystem type “sandy lowland stream” shall be approximated in a deep urban channel lacking flood space. Therefore, compensation habitats are inserted up by embedding of Leitbild- compliant replacement structures designed to promote succession of a autochthonic (type specific) benthic community. This constellation sets outstandingly high demands on the planning and realization considering the high levels of hydraulic stress. We here present first results from a pilot study on an urban channel stretch of the small river Aa traversing the City of Münster (Germany) where we employed stream model experiments, numerical simulations as well as morphodynamic measurements and biological monitoring campaigns.
