Urban stream channel hazards

In managing urban stream channels there are pressures to use soft engineering techniques to restore channels wherever possible, to undertake management within a drainage basin context, to produce sustainable solutions and to consider community views. However, specific methods for characterizing the channel network in terms of possible management options have not been developed explicitly for urban areas. A method of characterizing the entire drainage network of urban areas, based upon segmentation of the stream channel network according to the incidence of road crossings and stormwater outfalls, is proposed together with consideration of ways in which the segments can be characterized, including stream channel hazards as a means of providing one basis for urban channel management.