www.daylighting.org.uk: case study website supporting research into daylighting urban rivers

Deculverting, or 'daylighting', involves opening up buried watercourses and restoring them to more natural conditions. It is often claimed to provide multiple benefits to society, the environment and the economy. However, the outcomes and objectives of deculverting projects are rarely published, which makes it difficult to evaluate their true effectiveness, determine the best methods to use, or provide quantitative evidence to encourage future projects.

At the Catchment Science Centre, we have developed www.daylighting.org.uk in response to this research need. This map-based website of international daylighting case studies records the project drivers, costs and the environmental, social and economic objectives and outcomes. Practitioners are encouraged to enter their own case study details and add to our findings.