Rivers

In September 2022, we held the Riparian Urbanism Symposium, hosted in collaboration with Water For The Future. Researchers, creatives and collaborators who work with, on, and in the Jukskei’s riparian biome – including artists, activists, natural scientists, hydrologists, ecologists, urbanists, designers, historians, anthropologists, policy makers, social scientists, healers – were invited to describe, analyse and theorise how Johannesburg and its residents relate to the temperamental Jukskei. The symposium illustrated the importance of an interdisciplinary approach to deepen social and scientific understandings of and interactions with the Jukskei River.

Emerging from the symposium, Johannesburg from the Riverbanks: Navigating the Jukskei is an interdisciplinary volume published in 2025 that rethinks Johannesburg through the lens of the often-overlooked Jukskei River. Bringing together contributions from academia, activism, art, journalism, and science, the book examines how the river intersects with the city’s histories of inequality, environmental degradation, urban planning, and everyday life. By tracing the Jukskei’s course through diverse neighbourhoods, the collection reveals how water makes visible the social, political, and ecological dynamics shaping Johannesburg, while foregrounding grassroots efforts to restore, reimagine, and reclaim the river as a site of care, memory, and possibility in the city’s future.

Rivers’ research is deeply informed by the understanding of rivers as vital sites through which the interconnected relationships between nature, communities, and wellbeing can be explored. Future Rivers research will continue to reflect this perspective, advancing interdisciplinary approaches that position rivers as central to ecological health, community resilience, and collective wellbeing.