How Can We Adapt Together? Bridging Water Management and City Planning Approaches to Climate Change

Abstract

Different dynamics of climate change, population growth, and urbanisation challenge water service providers (WSPs) and those managing urban planning. The scientific community has been evidencing the concept of sustainable urban water management (SUWM) as a driver to foster the integration of the urban water cycle with its environmental, economic, and social sustainability dimensions. This article studies the approaches addressed by recent research on sustainable urban water management, focusing on the attention given by the scientific community to the way WSPs and city planners address the new challenges brought by climate change. A systematic review of existing literature shows how emergent challenges address the articulation between urban water cycle management and city planning. The results underline the need for the technical and economic evaluation of the overarching concept of SUWM systems, integrating values that go beyond financial issues; the need to address water scarcity not only from the supply side but also from the demand point of view; and the deepening of the relationship between new sources of water, such as the reuse, with the city planning in a context of climate change. Nevertheless, strategies for collaboration are still poorly addressed. The insights and gaps emerging from the analysis suggest new paths for research and practice in the field.