Should River Restoration Be Based on Classification Schemes or Process Models? Insights from the History of Geomorphology

River restoration design requires the application of fluvial geomorphic concepts, and should be expected to apply the techniques concurrent with contemporary thinking and research. Through a brief review of the history of geomorphology over the past century, striking parallels between geomorphic research and river restoration practice become apparent. Namely, restoration design has been, to date, dominated by classification schemes, which are the application of the historical geomorphology practiced by Davis. However, while geomorphology has progressed into its current paradigm of the physically-based process approach, river restoration is still dominated by historical geomorphic classification schemes. Reasons for this stagnation include (1) the ease of learning and applying classification schemes, and (2) public agencies’ fully adopting classification schemes and holding suspect, or not even considering proposals or the findings of approaches which do not include reference to or use of a classification scheme. This is in spite of the validity of classification schemes in restoration design being criticized more often than supported in scientific literature. We suggest that dependence on, or requirement of, a specific design approach -certainly one based on historical geomorphology -precludes the ability of river restoration to develop as has geomorphology.