Abstract
Rapid urbanisation, population growth and the effects of climate change drive the need for sustainable urban water management (SUWM) in Asian cities. The complexity of this challenge calls for the integration of knowledge from different disciplines and collaborative approaches. This paper identifies key issues and sets the stage for interdisciplinary research on SUWM in Asia. It reports on the initial stages of a SUWM research programme being undertaken at Monash University, Australia, and proposes a framework to guide the process of interdisciplinary research in urban water management. Three key themes are identified: (1) Technology and Innovation, (2) Urban Planning and Design, and (3) Governance and Society. Within these themes 12 research projects are being undertaken across Indonesia, China, India and Bangladesh. This outward-looking, interdisciplinary approach guides our research in an effort to transgress single-discipline solutions and contribute on-ground impact to SUWM practices in Asia.
Highlights
Rapid urbanisation as a worldwide phenomenon is most prominent in Asia
Many Asian cities are ill-equipped to respond to these pressures, as they face a host of social, institutional, technological and economic barriers to establishing ‘sustainable urban water management’ (SUWM) practices (UNW-DPAC )
We developed a research framework that breaks down the disciplinary boundaries
Summary
Rapid urbanisation as a worldwide phenomenon is most prominent in Asia. With Asia accounting for 65% of global urban expansion since the start of the century, the 21st century is shaping up to be the ‘Asian Urban Century’ (UNHabitat ). Many Asian cities are ill-equipped to respond to these pressures, as they face a host of social, institutional, technological and economic barriers to establishing ‘sustainable urban water management’ (SUWM) practices (UNW-DPAC ). A ‘water sensitive city’ (WSC) integrates normative SUWM values of environmental protection, equity, rehabilitation and sustainability with essential water services, including supply security, flood control, and public health, and additional benefits such as food security, energy savings, amenity and resilience of cities to Downloaded from http://iwaponline.com/wst/article-pdf/76/5/1150/449987/wst076051150.pdf by guest
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