Designing multifunctional urban river edges for climate adaptation

Although urban riverfronts have the potential to enhance climate, hydrological, ecological, and social resilience as multifunctional infrastructure, many edges remain single-purpose, focused on aesthetics or flood control. This paper presents a comparative typology and spatial analysis of multifunctional riverfronts as socio-ecological interfaces for climate adaptation. Using five case studies of Chinese riverfronts, we combine Geographic Information System (GIS) analysis, ecosystem service modelling (InVEST), hydrological simulations, and surveys (n = 972) to evaluate ecological function, temperature moderation, and public use. Three edge types are identified: ecological buffers, civic platforms, and hybrid interfaces. On average, across the five cases, hybrid edges that combine vegetated buffers with public amenities achieve ∼1.5 °C land-surface temperature cooling and 25% peak-flow attenuation relative to adjacent hard-engineered references, while recording higher satisfaction (mean ≈4.3/5) and longer stays. The MFWI framework emphasises layered design, equitable access, and interface-oriented governance to advance hydrological safety, microclimate regulation, and social inclusion. The framework offers a replicable, policy-relevant method for guiding the revitalisation of multifunctional riverfronts in urban watersheds vulnerable to climate change, supporting SDGs 11 and 13 by linking nature-based solutions to measurable adaptation performance