ABSTRACT
The inherent complexity of environmental change in river cities requires a shift of perspective going beyond binary conceptualizations of water/ land, river/city, and nature/culture. By linking a discourse analytical approach with theoretical concepts from governance research and urban political ecology, the framework of hybrid riverscapes—spatially referring to the riverine landscape formed by the natural forces of the river and human interventions—is outlined as an innovative concept to study environmental change and governance in river cities. Using the case study of Delhi’s riverscapes and the construction of a large bus depot on the banks of the Yamuna, the chapter outlines how such a concept of riverscapes can advance fluid, liminal, and hybrid theory making on river cities.
