Regenerating the Socio-Ecological Quality of Urban Streams: The Potential of a Social Learning Approach

The degradation of urban streams is a pressing problem in many cities around the world. Particularly in the so-called Global South, this degradation is associated with factors such as poverty, unplanned settlements, social exclusion, lack of basic sanitation infrastructure, poor management of water resources and inefficiencies in environmental governance systems. Responses to this urban challenge involve the participation of diverse stakeholders in a complex process of dialogue and learning that must deal with the multifaceted ecological and social issues affecting urban water systems and populations inhabiting their surroundings. In this context, social learning is considered a relevant approach to inform collective action towards the sustainability of these socio-ecological systems. The goal of this chapter is to identify potentialities and challenges in utilising a social learning approach to facilitate dialogue between a range of stakeholders involved in the restoration of an urban stream in a context of socio-ecological vulnerability. Our analysis is built on a representative case from urban Brazil: the Taquara Stream, in the city of Porto Alegre. This case involves a community-based initiative enacted by a group of citizens who are collectively seeking solutions to regenerate the socio-ecological quality of this local stream and watershed.