Towards Water-Wise Cities
Cities are rapidly expanding and water resources are under increasing pressure. We need to find ways to do more with less, while ensuring that cities are resilient to floods, droughts and the challenges of growing water scarcity. Transitioning cities to address these challenges has never been more urgent. The journey towards water-wise cities begins here…
The 17 IWA Principles for Water-Wise Cities
The IWA Principles help city leaders ensure that everyone in their cities has access to safe water and sanitation. One of the aims is to ensure that water is integrated in planning and design in cities to provide increased resilience to climate change, livability, efficiencies, and a sense of place for urban communities.
The ultimate goal of these Principles is to encourage collaborative action,underpinned by a shared vision, so that local governments, urban professionals, and individuals actively engage in addressing and finding solutions for managing all waters of the city.
The 17 Principles are grouped into four categories:
Why Endorse the Principles?
The Principles will be used to bring people together for resilient city planning and to guide the urban water revolution needed in cities of the future. By endorsing the principles on behalf of your city, your organisation or as a water professional, you are joining dozens in recognizing the importance of guiding the planning work for our future Water-Wise Cities. The time for action is now – Endorse the Principles!
See why change agents from around the world are endorsing the Principles for Water-Wise Cities…
City Water Stories
Many cities around the world are adopting strategies to strengthen urban water resilience. Sharing best practices to empower others on their journey to water-wise cities is at the heart of these city stories. Although each city below tells a unique story of urban resilience, they all serve to illustrate how other cities can use these Principles to become Water-Wise Cities.
Roadmap
Since the launch in October 2016 at the IWA World Water Congress in Brisbane, 30 metropolitan areas worldwide have endorsed the IWA Principles for Water-Wise Cities, rallying urban stakeholders around a shared vision for sustainable urban water management. Building off of the Principles, IWA launched the Action Agenda for Basin-Connected Cities at the IWA World Water Congress in Tokyo, Japan in 2018.
The Water-Wise Cities initiative aims to foster Knowledge Exchange. The Principles are used to mainstream a “City Water Language” and structure case studies from cities to inspire change.
IWA aims to activate Actors of Change, by partnering with our members as champions who accelerate the transition to water-wise cities through their work and influence. The time to act is now. Join the journey to water wise cities.