Rivers have played significant roles in development of cities worldwide. Increasing urbanization has diminished the quality of lotic resources and altered the way in which humans interact with rivers by converting free flowing rivers into heavily altered systems. The Miami River in South Florida, USA, provides a model case for examining urban rivers as social-ecological systems. Research on urban rivers in general and the Miami River is limited. To date, how the urbanization of Miami and surrounding areas may have disrupted social-ecological riverine connectivity has not been studied. To fill this gap, I compiled an environmental history of the river to examine how connectivity and quality of the river changed. This research integrated long-term water quality data, interviews, observational, and archival data. Data show an improvement in water quality in the early to mid-2000s, likely linked to emerging policies and restrictions. This research will add to growing knowledge of urban rivers as social-ecological systems.
