Natural disasters and climate change call for the urgent decentralization of urban water systems

2017 ◽  
Vol 605-606 ◽  
pp. 246-250 ◽  
Author(s):  
Ian Vázquez-Rowe ◽  
Ramzy Kahhat ◽  
Yago Lorenzo-Toja
Keyword(s):  
Climate Change ◽  
Natural Disasters ◽  
Water Systems ◽  
Urban Water ◽  
Urban Water Systems

Adapting Cities to Climate Change: Institutional Change around Sustainable Urban Water Concepts in the City of Hamburg, Germany

2020 ◽  
Author(s):  
Tom Hawxwell ◽  
Joerg Knieling
Keyword(s):  
Climate Change ◽  
Water Management ◽  
Research Policy ◽  
Water Systems ◽  
Institutional Arrangements ◽  
Sustainable Urban Development ◽  
Urban Water ◽  
Urban Water Management ◽  
Management Concepts ◽  
Urban Water Systems

<p>Diverse concepts have emerged in recent decades which (at least in their rhetoric) aim to instigate processes that make cities more resilient to climate change and support more sustainable urban development (Coaffee and Lee 2016; Hodson and Marvin 2017). With regards to urban water management, the Water-Sensitive City (WSC) is one such concept that promotes urban water planning to “protect, maintain and enhance the multiple benefits and services of the total urban water cycle that are highly valued by society” (Wong and Brown 2009, 674). The WSC, along with related integrated urban water management concepts have seen growing scholarly attention in recent years (see e.g. Fletcher et al. 2015). The emergence of such concepts reflects the growing demand for more sophisticated and integrated understanding and management of urban water systems. Such an ambitious model represents a broadening of the competencies and responsibilities of practitioners involved in water management and improved coordination with other urban sectors. Thus, such changes (must) typically coincide with changes amongst actors engaged directly or indirectly in water management, along with the prevailing institutional arrangements that govern their activities.</p> <p>Yet very little is known about processes of institutionalisation of such concepts within socio-technical regimes such as those that characterise urban water systems (Fuenfschilling and Truffer 2014). This paper aims to map processes of institutionalisation of concepts associated with the Water-Sensitive City amongst practitioners working in urban water management related fields in the Free and Hanseatic City of Hamburg. The research explores changes in the institutional arrangements between 1990 and 2020.</p> <p><strong>References</strong></p> <p>Coaffee, J., and P. Lee. 2016. <em>Urban Resilience:</em> <em>Planning for Risk, Crisis and Uncertainty</em>. Macmillan International Higher Education.</p> <p>Fletcher, T. D., W. Shuster, W. F. Hunt, R. Ashley, D. Butler, S. Arthur, S. Trowsdale, et al. 2015. ‘SUDS, LID, BMPs, WSUD and More – The Evolution and Application of Terminology Surrounding Urban Drainage’. <em>Urban Water Journal</em> 12 (7): 525–42. https://doi.org/10.1080/1573062X.2014.916314.</p> <p>Fuenfschilling, L., and B. Truffer. 2014. ‘The Structuration of Socio-Technical Regimes - Conceptual Foundations from Institutional Theory’. <em>Research Policy</em> 43 (4): 772–91. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.respol.2013.10.010.</p> <p>Hodson, M., and S. Marvin. 2017. ‘Intensifying or Transforming Sustainable Cities? Fragmented Logics of Urban Environmentalism’. <em>Local Environment</em> 22 (sup1): 8–22. https://doi.org/10.1080/13549839.2017.1306498.</p> <p>Wong, T. H. F., and R. R. Brown. 2009. ‘The Water Sensitive City: Principles for Practice’. <em>Water Science and Technology</em> 60 (3): 673–82. https://doi.org/10.2166/wst.2009.436.</p> <p> </p>

Receptivity to transformative change in the Dutch urban water management sector

2009 ◽  
Vol 60 (2) ◽  
pp. 311-320 ◽  
Author(s):  
R. E. de Graaf ◽  
R. J. Dahm ◽  
J. Icke ◽  
R. W. Goetgeluk ◽  
S. J. T. Jansen ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Climate Change ◽  
Water Management ◽  
Water System ◽  
Water Systems ◽  
Management Policy ◽  
Urban Water ◽  
Transformative Change ◽  
Urban Water Management ◽  
Urban Water System ◽  
Urban Water Systems

Worldwide, the need for transformative change in urban water management is acknowledged by scientists and policy makers. The effects of climate change and developments such as urbanization, the European Water Framework Directive, and societal concerns about the sustainability of urban water system force the sector to adapt. In The Netherlands, a shift towards integration of spatial planning and water management can be observed. Despite major changes in water management policy and approach, changes in the physical urban water management infrastructure remain limited to incremental solutions and demonstration projects. Policy studies show that institutional factors and professional perceptions are important factors for application of innovations in urban water management. An online survey among Dutch urban water management professionals demonstrates that according to most respondents, optimization of the current system is sufficient to achieve both European and national objectives for sustainable urban water management. The respondents are most concerned with the effects of climate change on urban water systems. In contrast to current policy of the national government, priority factors that should be addressed to achieve a more sustainable urban water system are improving knowledge of local urban water systems, capacity building, developing trust between stakeholders, and improving involvement of elected officials and citizens.

Climate Change and Urban Water Systems

2014 ◽  
pp. 87-111
Author(s):  
Ole Mark ◽  
Birgit Paludan
Keyword(s):  
Climate Change ◽  
Water Systems ◽  
Urban Water ◽  
Urban Water Systems

scholarly journals Ablutionary Urbanisms: Water Infrastructures, Cultural Production and Charitable Dispensation

2022 ◽  
Vol 3 ◽  
Author(s):  
Brook Muller
Keyword(s):  
Climate Change ◽  
Cultural Production ◽  
Rapid Growth ◽  
Water Systems ◽  
Interdisciplinary Teams ◽  
Urban Landscapes ◽  
Urban Water ◽  
Cultural Sustainability ◽  
Urban Water Systems ◽  
The City

With interest in advancing inclusive urban landscapes and guided by principles of social and cultural sustainability, this essay speculates as to localized water infrastructures as “ablutionary urbanisms,” important forms of contemporary design expression in a context of rapid growth, widening inequalities, climate change and lack of resilience. It derives inspiration from vernacular precedents in advocating for an integrated, decentralized approach to addressing current urban water challenges. It explores the contemporary relevance of the sabil, a prominent civic feature of Islamic cities intended for the charitable dispensation of water. More specifically, this essay considers the contemporary relevance and potency of the sabil-kuttab, a hybrid building type unique to the city of Cairo in which a school (kuttab) sits atop a sabil. Such a type offers helpful guidance in devising principles and precepts relevant to contemporary infrastructural design in that: (1) it offers encouragement to advocate for distributed urban water systems as civically prominent elements of cities, particularly as these systems combine with other important community-focused programmatic features; and (2) given a reimagining of urban water systems as critical forms of cultural production, it offers encouragement for interdisciplinary teams to commit to the task of infrastructure planning as a promising locus of integrative design.

scholarly journals MUWS (Microbiology in Urban Water Systems) – an interdisciplinary approach to study microbial communities in urban water systems

2010 ◽  
Vol 3 (2) ◽  
pp. 91-99 ◽  
Author(s):  
P. Deines ◽  
R. Sekar ◽  
H. S. Jensen ◽  
S. Tait ◽  
J. B. Boxall ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Microbial Ecology ◽  
Distribution Systems ◽  
Water Distribution ◽  
Potable Water ◽  
Water Distribution Systems ◽  
Water Systems ◽  
Urban Water ◽  
Infrastructure Systems ◽  
Urban Water Systems ◽  
Sewer Networks

Abstract. Microbiology in Urban Water Systems (MUWS) is an integrated project, which aims to characterize the microorganisms found in both potable water distribution systems and sewer networks. These large infrastructure systems have a major impact on our quality of life, and despite the importance of these systems as major components of the water cycle, little is known about their microbial ecology. Potable water distribution systems and sewer networks are both large, highly interconnected, dynamic, subject to time and varying inputs and demands, and difficult to control. Their performance also faces increasing loading due to increasing urbanization and longer-term environmental changes. Therefore, understanding the link between microbial ecology and any potential impacts on short or long-term engineering performance within urban water infrastructure systems is important. By combining the strengths and research expertise of civil-, biochemical engineers and molecular microbial ecologists, we ultimately aim to link microbial community abundance, diversity and function to physical and engineering variables so that novel insights into the performance and management of both water distribution systems and sewer networks can be explored. By presenting the details and principals behind the molecular microbiological techniques that we use, this paper demonstrates the potential of an integrated approach to better understand how urban water system function, and so meet future challenges.

Sign in / Sign up

Export Citation Format

Share Document