Watersheds can be graphically represented by using a system of polygons, lines, and points. This gives you the flexibility to map current conditions and compare them to maps of what the watershed might look like after implementing a given strategy. This can help you see both intended and unintended consequences of particular strategies. Ultimately, this can help you make a decision about the most effective strategy.
This book addresses floodplains as products of their watershed, being dynamic and ever changing. We consider flooding not an inherent hazard but simply a disturbance or change in condition. We have presented the natural processes that produce change and offer ways, emphasizing these natural processes, to reduce adverse effects and enhance benefits. All of these concepts are presented in words.
Here we offer a way to sketch these processes. Knowledge of GIS helps but is not necessary. An inspiration for this approach comes from the work of noted urban designer Kevin Lynch, who defined a graphic notation system for the conceptualization and design of urban landscapes. Lynch’s system, set forth in his 1965 book The Image of the City, consisted of point, area, and linear features such as nodes, landmarks, districts, pathways, and edges. Mapping an urban landscape in these terms greatly aids analysis of the components of urban landscape and their interrelationships.
