Water Sensitive City

Rapid urban growth in European cities has led to significant artificial land cover, which in some cities has greatly increased the effects of rainwater runoff. This phenomenon, combined with the effects of climate change, including increased precipitation alternating with droughts, can lead to significant flood risks. In the EU context, several ongoing developments within cities contribute to the pressing issues of water scarcity and floods, which pose challenges to sustainable urban development (Climate Change, Ageing infrastructure, Land-use changes, inefficient water management practices, lack of integrated approaches).

To address these challenges, a multi-level governance approach could help improve and create tools, measures and governance mechanisms to help implementing sustainable urban drainage systems, reusing water, set up storage systems promoting water conservation measures, to build models of water sensitive urban management and promote integrated approaches.

The Call for Partners will be open from 28 August to 2 October, leaving interested partners enough time to apply after the summer period.

An online applicant seminar will take place on 5 September where interested stakeholders will get more information about the application process as well as what to expect from a Thematic Partnership within the Urban Agenda for the EU.

Once the call is closed, the applications are carefully assessed by the EAA expert taking into consideration the diversity of stakeholders, the geographical location in Europe and the variety of size of urban authorities. Once approved by the DGUM in the November 2024, the Thematic Partnership on Water Sensitive City will be launched and ready to kick-off in early 2025.

Before a Thematic Partnership within the Urban Agenda for the EU can be established, an Ex-Ante Assessment report of the theme must be developed. The EAA, is an evidence-based research report, written by an external experts which explores the relevance and necessity of the theme and defines the scope of the potential partnership. What exists and what has already been done on these themes? What are the challenges, the gaps and the opportunities? Once the report is finalised, it must be presented to the Directors General Meeting on Urban Matters (DGUM) which gathers representatives from the European Commission, Member States, the Belgian Presidency of the Council of the European Union, and relevant urban networks and umbrella organisations. On 26 June 2024 this meeting was organised and the Ex-Ante Assessment was successfully endorsed.