Abstract
A trend away from rivers, in which people have lost interest in rivers and the relationships between human and river, is a negative phenomenon on the process of modern river improvement projects. Especially, the negative phenomena in urban areas has become more severe than other rivers in rural/suburban areas, because most of rivers in urban areas have been changed into artificial or covered concrete channels due to a concentration of population and high land developments along the rivers. The trend away from rivers exists in the urban society as a barrier between practitioners of river restoration and general citizens who lack interest in river and water cycles. This study aimed to clarify the process and conditions of raising “awareness” as a solution to solve the trend away from rivers through a practice for river education in the Zenpukuji River basin, Tokyo. The results showed that the process on creation of awareness in the practice consists of seven stages and three forming conditions: “close communication with others”, “accessibility to river”, and “outsider”.
