Nature-Based Solutions for Water Management in Cities: Innovative Approaches for a Sustainable Future

Welcome to Our Future Water's newsletter on "Nature-Based Solutions (NBS) for Urban Water Management," delving into green roofs, green streets, and stormwater harvesting for resilient and sustainable cities.

In recent years, cities have faced increasing challenges in managing their water resources. From flooding to water scarcity, urban areas need NBS to address these water-related risks and ensure a sustainable future. NBS not only help to mitigate the impacts of water-related risks but also provide important ecosystem services, making our cities more liveable, sustainable, and resilient.

In this newsletter, we explore three NBS for water management in cities and discuss how they can help to create a more sustainable future. Green roofs, green streets, and stormwater harvesting are three innovative NBS that have gained attention for their potential to improve water resource management and create more sustainable and resilient urban environments.

Insights

Green Roofs

Green roofs are vegetated roofs that provide numerous benefits to cities, including improved air and water quality, increased energy efficiency, and reduced heat island effect. By slowing down and filtering rainwater, green roofs can also reduce the risk of flooding and improve water quality in urban areas. Additionally, green roofs provide important habitats for wildlife and increase the overall green space in the city. Read how The Hague is greening the skyline with green roofs.

Green Streets

Green streets incorporate vegetation and other blue-green infrastructure elements to manage stormwater runoff and improve water quality. They also provide important ecosystem services, such as carbon sequestration, improved air quality, and increased biodiversity, making our cities more liveable and resilient. Read how San Francisco has completed one of its flagship green street projects as part of its 2050 stormwater management goal.

Stormwater Harvesting

Stormwater harvesting is a technique used to collect and store stormwater runoff for later use, reducing the demand for finite water resources and improving water self-sufficiency in cities. This approach can also reduce the amount of runoff and flooding, improving water quality and the health of local ecosystems. Additionally, stormwater harvesting can provide a source of water for irrigation, cleaning, and even drinking if treated properly, making cities more resilient to water scarcity. Read about New South Wales’ first large-scale indirect-to-potable stormwater harvesting project.

Additional Insight

• Water Banking: A Climate Adaptation Strategy for Managing Critical Groundwater Resources
• Optimising Water Resource Management: Smart Water Solutions and Success in Barcelona
• Urban Farming and Water: Innovations for Sustainable Agriculture

Online Event: Adapting to a future of extremes: Green, grey and hybrid solutions

Organised by Denmark's State of Green and Our Future Water, this online session* will discuss the adaptation efforts and experiences from Europe and the Asia Pacific and highlight some of the innovative approaches on how to adapt to a future of water extremes. Join leading climate adaptation and resiliency experts on “Adapting to a future of extremes: Green, grey and hybrid solutions”. Register here.

*Online: May 25, Singapore Time 14.30-16.00 / Central European Summer Time 8.30 - 10.00

Event: FIWARE Global Summit 2023

Our Future Water is proud to be a media partner of the FIWARE Global Summit 2023. Join the upcoming FIWARE Global Summit 2023 in Vienna from 12-13 June for two days of world-class innovation, collaboration, and networking to discuss the latest trends and highlights in technologies such as blockchain, artificial intelligence, digital twins or robotics with special attention to the development of data spaces and data models for Smart Cities and Territories, Smart Industry, Smart Agrifood, Smart Energy, Smart Water and Smart Tourism.

Find more about the Summit here.

Call for Chapters: Palgrave Encyclopedia of Sustainable Resources and Ecosystem Resilience

The Palgrave Encyclopedia of Sustainable Resources and Ecosystem Resilience, published with Springer Nature, provides practitioners and researchers with a tertiary body of knowledge on how improving resource efficiency and ensuring ecosystem resilience can achieve green growth, which values ecosystems, promotes inter-generational development policies, and protects human life and livelihoods from environmental risks and ecological scarcities. Submissions are open for chapter contributions by academics and practitioners. DM Robert C. Brears (Editor in Chief) for more information.

Latest Mark and Focus

Nature-based solutions (NBS) are one such solution that can harness the power of natural processes and ecosystems to address complex environmental issues. This magazine delves into the potential of NBS in different industries and environments, including the restoration of oceans, the development of renewable energy landscapes, the role of NBS in natural flood management, and the transformative impact of NBS in agriculture. Available at Issuu or Apple Books, or download it here.

Communities

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Urban Water Security, Our Future Water, Circular Water Economy, Blue-Green Infrastructure, Nature-Based Solutions, Climate Resilient Water Resources Management

Books

Financing Water Security and Green Growth

Financing Water Security and Green Growth offers a comprehensive overview of the innovative financial instruments and approaches available to implement water security and green growth initiatives at various scales and in different contexts.