Abstract

Until the industrial revolution the water in the rivers of the Irwell Catchment flowed, well stocked with fish, through meadows on their way from the Pennines to join the River Mersey and on to Liverpool Bay and the Irish Sea. As industry spread along the riverbanks the character of the Irwell Catchment was changed. Now the Manchester conurbation dominates the landscape of the Catchment. In 2012 the Irwell Catchment was one of 25 catchments selected by DEFRA (the Department for Food and Rural Affairs) to pilot a new catchment wide management plan process. During this presentation Professor James, who chaired the Irwell Catchment Pilot Steering Group, reflects on the miss-match between human and natural systems, the tensions caused by different policy objectives, and on the emerging resilience of the processes that underpin the current management ideas. With the proposed wider adoption of catchment and other landscape scale plans Professor James’s presentation will address issues relevant to architects, planners, ecologists, and those involved in addressing the wider urban agenda.