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Abstract
Urbanization increasingly threatens stream ecosystems, particularly in the rapidly urbanizing areas of the southeastern United States. This dissertation provides knowledge and approaches to mitigate the impacts of urbanization on stream ecosystems and to enhance stream health. Focusing on the Southeast Piedmont of the United States, this dissertation investigated the potential pathways through which landscape development impacted stream ecosystems and identified significant stressors to stream health. These findings enhance our understanding of the mechanisms through which urbanization affects stream ecosystems. Based on this understanding, a stream ecological enhancement tool was developed and applied to the Southeast Piedmont to guide stream and watershed management activities. Furthermore, this dissertation explored the potential applications of the developed knowledge and approaches across various partnerships, programs, projects and policies to bridge the gap between theoretical knowledge and practical application. While the focus of this dissertation is on the southeastern United States, the findings have regional and global implications for stream and watershed management, thereby offering a substantial contribution to the existing body of knowledge and providing insights and tools that could be beneficial to practitioners and policymakers in the field of environmental design and planning.