Highlights from the 2nd Meeting of the Water Sensitive City Partnership
Orientation Paper: The First Key Milestone for the Partnership's Work
The event started with a welcome from Alexandru Matei (EUI) and Jorge Brito, the Executive Director of the Intermunicipal Community of Coimbra Region (CIM-RC), and Partnership Coordinator. Participants then delved into the purpose and key elements of the Orientation Paper, which lays the foundation for the Partnership’s work, and is expected to be finalised by the end of July. A presentation by Raffaella Fomini (Thematic Partnership Officer for the Food Partnership), was followed by a Q&A session that explored the processes involved in drafting this document.
Understanding the landscape: trends, gaps and recommendations
To guide the initial phase of the Partnership, a clear understanding of the existing urban dynamics and the policy framework of the water sector is essential. To this end, the meeting also included a presentation on the WSC Ex-Ante Assessment (EAA). After presenting the structure of the EAA, the Partnership Coordinators offered an overview on the latest trends and evidence in EU cities, ranging from excess water and water scarcity, to water quality degradation, aging infrastructure and impermeable surfaces, to fragmented governance. The EAA also included 11 potential focus areas for each pillar of the Urban Agenda for the EU (Better regulation, Better knowledge and Better funding).
Refining the Thematic Scope of the WSC Partnership
Based on the topics of interest shared in the kick-off meeting, the partners engaged in an interactive session to further explore the gaps or issues that they have identified, related to these topics. The partners also started a discussion on potential outputs that the Thematic Partnership can generate to address these issues. The collaborative session was organised in break-out room discussions, where smaller groups explored specific themes in detail. Each group’s key findings were then presented in a plenary session, where representatives shared emerging topics and insights.
The topics discussed by partners ranged from sustainable water management, addressing excess, scarcity, and quality of water, to nature-based solutions and blue-green infrastructure for flood prevention and urban cooling. Discussions have also emphasised smart water management and the need for data, as well as the importance of knowledge exchange and capacity building. Partners also focused on biodiversity protection and nature restoration, by integrating water-sensitive principles into urban planning. Other major topics were public and governmental awareness, and financing and investment to support sustainable water initiatives. The inputs shared in the Miro platform will be the basis for the next online meeting.
Next steps for the WSC Partnership: online meetings and in-person meeting in Coimbra
The Coordinators outlined the next major steps for the Partnership. Two additional online meetings are scheduled, aimed at refining and prioritizing the topics of interest, which will serve as the foundation for establishing working groups. This will be followed by the first in-person meeting, set to take place in Coimbra (PT) from May 13 to 14.
Stay tuned for more updates on the Water Sensitive City Partnership!