Urbanization and Riverine Hinterlands: A Proposal for an Integrative High-Definition and Multi-Scalar Approach to Understanding Ancient Cities and their Dynamic Natural Resources

Abstract

Rivers have always been a magnet for human settlement, providing resources, such as water, food, and energy, and communication and travel routes. Climate- and human-made changes to the environment can easily affect the fragile balance between the ‘natural’ and the ‘urban’, causing droughts, floods, and other changes in riverine systems that challenge economic, environmental, and social sustainability. This is especially true in semi-arid regions and in times of rapid climate change and human-driven deterioration of the environment. Therefore a deeper understanding is needed of the evolution of urban-riverine relationships within long-term historical frameworks. This article presents an integrative and interdisciplinary programme for research, which although exemplified by one case study - the city of Gerasa/Jerash and its hinterland in modern Jordan - can be applied to other locations and regions with benefits.