Daylighting describes the opening of buried or covered watercourses, such as rivers or drainage systems, by removing concrete layers. This creates more space for the river, which allows for increased storage capacity of the channel, thereby decreasing flood risk. Both architectural and natural restoration can be considered when daylighting. Architectural restoration describes the daylighting of watercourse that still follows a concrete or constructed channel. Natural restoration refers to the daylighting of channels followed by a natural development of the riverbed and riparian zone, which can provide additional aesthetic and ecological benefits.