Heinz PATT
Institute of Hydraulic Engineering and Water Resource Management University of Duisburg-Essen
River neighbourhoods (RN) are voluntary associations of people who are interested in the development of selected rivers in Germany. River neighbourhoods were founded to improve the distribution of information concerning the existing situation on rivers and river meadows as well as to present and promote the work on rivers in the direction of the development goals. Further on river neighbourhoods provide advanced training and exchange of experience between the participants of the meetings.
The RN Sieg, the eldest river neighbourhoods in the federal state of Northrhine-Westfalia, has been founded in 1992. A retrospective glance at the development on the river Sieg is possible by considering the topic of the RN Sieg meetings over the past ten years. The future work of river neighbourhoods will be very much influenced by the goals of the European Water Framework Directive.