Urban Water - Sustainable Water Management in Urban Space | Umweltbundesamt

Climate change is not analysed

Precipitation, heavy rain events

No climate effects analysed. Effects of current extreme precipitation events impact on water quantity (flood and drought periods) and water quality (contamination of ground and surface water).

Adaptation measures for climate change are not analysed.

The most important recommendations and messages are:

- Integration of water management into urban planning: The people responsible for the planning process should establish informal or semi-formal networks. These must be incorporated into the applicable formal processes. Spatial planners and water managers should cooperate on planning at an early stage. Use of the Dutch ""Water Toets"" assessments is recommended for authorities in other countries. Communities should adopt a role that creates a balance between strategic and operational decisions and between condition and action based planning.

- Better water quality for cities:

Combined measures to increase cost efficiency and effectiveness - WRRL measures, flood protection activities and public structural measures can be effectively combined.

Combination of available resources - Funds approved for different purposes (e.g. for street maintenance or sewage) can also be used for other objectives.

Incentives for integration of water management into urban development - Commitment to uncoupling can be strengthened by incorporation into building plans.

Analysis of the entire water system - Measures motivated by a single aim are often not effective. The entire range of options to prevent water pollution must be considered. The people responsible for urban development and water

need a clear delineation of duties - This is the only way to ensure optimum implementation of measures in terms of their technical capability, costs and influence on the environment.

Improvement of ecological water quality - Analysis of chemical water quality is not sufficient to formulate the most effective measures.

Agreement of uncoupling targets - Ambitious but achievable targets should be put in place at local and regional level.

- Public involvement and publicity:

Development of appropriate communication strategies - The scale of the project must be taken into account. Can the project manager deal with communication alone or is support required? Start with clear conditions but leave the process open. The project initiator must be a reliable partner.

Develop a well-structured and transparent communication plan - Who does what, when and why?

Keep the schedule flexible. Take account of public interests in the project development phase, in order to be equipped to deal with changes or even to terminate a project.

Provide the public with sober and objective information about the implementation of technical measures and highlight possible solutions.

Make representatives of different interest groups aware of their role and contribution to an improved water system.

- Learn from partners - Benefit at home:

Support for new developments within the EU - International partnerships feed innovations into national systems. In addition, networks at national, regional and local level are strengthened.

Successful knowledge transfer calls for a gradual process - To optimise planning or implement a new idea, sharing experiences and comparing advantages and disadvantages first is important. Reflection and application to local conditions can then take place.