Several studies have shown reduced nitrogen uptake efficiencies and widely variable nitrogen uptake rates for urban stream ecosystems.  We compared the concentration, form and dynamics of dissolved nitrogen between streams draining 8 urban degraded and 4 forested catchments.  Study sites in four of the urban streams are within recently implemented natural channel design restoration projects.  Sites are blocked by watershed area and parent geology, with one forested/reference stream, one urban/impacted stream, and one restored stream in each block. Nitrate and phosphate concentrations are consistently higher in the eight urban streams, irrespective of restoration status.  Whole-stream kinetic nitrate additions were completed during summer 2006.  NO₃-N uptake efficiencies were significantly greater for restored streams (mean v_f = 3.8 mm min^-1) than for urban streams (mean v_f = 2.2 mm min^-1), and nitrate demand was saturated at lower concentrations in the urban than the restored streams.  Uptake velocity was more variable between our forested streams, thus v_fs for forested streams were not significantly different from urban or restored streams.  Our analyses of organic matter processing, geomorphology and hydrology in these same streams suggest that the changes in NO₃-N v_fs may be due to increased algal production in the restored reaches.