In the RCN context, we are interested in free-flowing or engineered rivers, creeks, canals and/or networks of these as part of a river system in urban or peri-urban areas. The “river-city nexus” is our shorthand for the mutual relationship between these water bodies, their ecosystems, and the human settlements surrounding them. The river-city nexus provides a lens through which to critically analyse relationships between human settlements and rivers and waterways over time, as well as a platform to engage in collective action to revitalize local river/waterway ecosystems and to improve their relationship with adjacent communities.  

As fellow initiatives of the IIAS, HAB and RCN have a close working relationship, collaborating on educational projects and events that analyse the human-waterway relationship through a storytelling & narrative research approach. In 2024, HAB and RCN hosted the Beyond Disaster: Resilience and Indigenous Wisdom Along Indus lecture in Leiden, where architect Sobia Kapadia from Middlesex University London, UK shared her work among communities living in fragile ecologies along the Indus River in southeastern Pakistan. 

During ICAS 13 in Surabaya, the Words of Riverine Women, Iriri Amazon wordbook was released, introducing words and expressions used in the daily lives of the women community residing in Iriri, in the Amazon region. The words highlighted by the Riverine women in this glossary, compiled by researcher and RCN co-coordinator Satya Maia Patchineelam, embody the essence of their daily experiences and emotional connections formed through conversations within their families and the environment that surrounds them. A multidisciplinary approach is necessary to restore the health of these rivers, and it involves active engagement from the riverine communities.