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New network and research hub to tackle urban water crises

03 August 2015

by Jonathan Andrews

A new consortium of 14 academic institutions and key partners across the US aims to address the challenges that threaten urban water systems by forming the Urban Water Innovation Network (UWIN). Jonathan Andrews spoke to Mazdak Arabi, Associate Professor of Civil and Environmental Engineering at Colorado State University, and who will serve as Director of UWIN, about the new research network.

What were the driving reasons to establish this network?

City water systems are at risk of disruption from global social and environmental hazards, which could have deleterious effects on human health, property, wealth and equity, and loss of critical infrastructure. The way urban water is managed has evolved over the centuries from supplying water to support populations and economies, to treating wastewater for human health, to controlling stormwater for minimising flooding. These systems are managed in silos. Now, we are in the midst of a fourth transformation, some call it a fourth urban revolution, from fragmented water silos to integrated systems.

The current fragmented approach to managing urban water is not sustainable. Water is one resource and must be managed based on the whole water cycle. Water as a service connects many other social and environmental issues in cities. Integration is not just across water sectors but should be pursued in terms of the Triple Bottom Line and co-benefits that water provides to other urban systems. The challenge certainly requires technological and infrastructure advancements, but also necessitates institutional and management solutions that foster integration. Our vision is to create an enduring research network for integrated water systems, and champions of innovation for water-sensitive urban design and resilient cities.

CSU
Mazdak Arabi, Associate Professor of Civil and Environmental Engineering at Colorado State University

Why now?

Water is the greatest global threat to society, the environment, and economies, according to the latest survey of global risks by the World Economic Forum. UWIN will provide technological and management solutions for integrated planning and management of water systems.

The network will establish six urban water hubs, are you able to name these yet and how will they be chosen?

From inception our network will encompass six US regions with varying ecohydrologic and climatic regimes ranging from the coastal moist mid-latitude climates of the mid-Atlantic to the subtropical semi-arid deserts of the southwest. These regions also represent a wide spectrum of demographic, cultural, and policy settings. Such diversity will enable cross-site assessments that facilitate the exploration of locally appropriate sustainable technological, sociopolitical, and management solutions across regions undergoing various development trajectories.

These regions/cities include:

  • The mid-Atlantic region encompassing the nearly continuous urban agglomeration from the New York tri-state area to the Baltimore-Washington DC area provides a unique testbed.
  • The South Florida urban area includes the cities of Miami, Fort Lauderdale, and West Palm Beach and is home to 5.5 million people in the sixth largest Metropolitan Statistical Area in the US.
  • The Phoenix-Tucson Sun Corridor is the fastest growing megapolitan area in the US, centred upon Phoenix, the largest city in the Colorado River.
  • The rising pressure on freshwater resources brought about by rapidly increasing municipal and industrial demands manifests itself to its full extent in the Front Range of Colorado. The population of the region is predicted to grow by nearly 65 percent by year 2030, which will result in nearly 55 percent increase in municipal and industrial water demand.
  • The Willamette River Basin in the Pacific Northwest Cascadia contains the urban areas of Portland, Salem, Corvallis, and Eugene that together make up most of the basin’s population of 2.6 million. Urban areas, including the City of Portland, occupy up to 5 percent of the land at present, and will rise to approximately 7.5 percent of the basin by 2100.
  • The Los Angeles Metropolitan region is home to more than 17 million residents distributed among a complex organisation of many cities in four counties. Water distribution regulation is distributed across diverse agencies and associations and features a reliance on both local resources and storage supplemented by extensive water imports from throughout California and extending to the Colorado River.
 Who can join the network?

In addition to the regional hubs across the US, the network will establish an online Global Urban Water Hub that will provide the opportunity for engaging the global water community. The network welcomes partnerships with stakeholder groups, non-profit organisations, businesses, and research institutions to establish hubs in other regions across the US and throughout the world.

Will you be working closely with mayors and other city leaders across the US? 


The UWIN has established partnerships with the National League of Cities (NLC) and the Urban Sustainability Directors Network (USDN) to link the network research, educational, and engagement activities with policy makers and city leaders across the nation.

Will the network focus primarily on research or will a certain part include a ‘hands-on’ approach? 


A key product of the network is a blueprint for integration of urban water systems. Building on the outcomes of research activities and stakeholder engagement processes, the blueprint will incorporate pragmatic information and steps for characterisation of vulnerabilities, resiliency, and co-benefits of water systems. The blueprint will also provide guidance for selecting effective technological and management solutions.

What do you hope the network will achieve over the next five to ten years, or are you looking at more immediate results? 


The network will create long-lasting products that will change the way water is managed and incorporated in urban planning, including; a suite of sustainable urban water solutions; a blueprint for action; stronger community capacity to adapt; six regional urban water sustainability hubs; an online Global Urban Water Hub; train a new generation of scientists and policymakers; engage citizen scientists; and develop leadership, communication, and facilitation skills.

What will be the first steps of the network and when will it be officially launched?

The network will be officially launched in August 2015. The immediate steps are engagement of key stakeholder groups in the regional hubs, and establishing the online Global Urban Water Hub.

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