Urban rivers in different countries, especially in developing countries, that used to play a prominent role in the lives of city residents during their glorious period have currently undergone deteriorating conditions due to various management, climate, and other reasons. However, some of these rivers can be regenerated and returned to the natural urban ecosystem. To this end, the present study aimed to shed light on the mechanism of regenerating the Abbas Abad River in Hamadan through the exploration of the lived experiences of residents. Thus, following a phenomenological design and the data from unstructured interviews with the residents, this study focused on explaining the regeneration of the river and its waterfront. The results of the data analysis highlighted three different periods: the life-giving function of the river, the deterioration of the river, and people’s reconciliation with nature through the restoration of the river. Moreover, an exploration of lived experiences of the residents revealed that the river can be regenerated in 5 phases: “Physical organization”, “dispositioning ownerships”, “culture building, liberation, and identification of the regeneration area”, “project proposal, and “project implementation and control”.
