Water in Future Cities

Water Resilience for Cities:

A Green and Blue Future

Dr Mark Fletcher
What are the big risks
facing the world?
WEF 2015
Global risks report
Water rising up the agenda
The Global Risks Landscape 2015
Climate Change Hazards
Regional Water Stress
Storms /
Natural River Transport Coastal storm
drainage flooding systems flooding surges/
systems cyclones
Water
Telecomms networks Shelter Livelihood
Vector Surface
borne water Coastal
Drought
disease flooding defences

Food and
Agriculture
Ground
water
Community
systems for
Rising sea levels
table information
exchange
Groundwater
flooding
 Shock Change eg storm/flood and
Incremental Change eg sea level rise
 Recovery (as you were) and
Adaptation (or transformation)
Population Growth eg London

11.3m
(3.1 million growth)

by 2050
(Source GLA Intelligence Nov
2013)
Urbanisation More than half the world is now urban
istock.com

6 billion

5
Urban
4

3
Rural
2

1955 1965 1975 1985 1995 2005 2015 2025 2035 2045
Water resilience for cities
Source CIRIA Report RP976 , Creating Water Sensitive Places diagram adapted
from Brown et al 2008 (For full reference refer to CIRIA Report RP976, p106)

Towards a Water Sensitive City

Design with Water
A conceptual framework for improving
the resilience, wellbeing and
biodiversity of our cities.
 Design with Water
Innovative framework across the water
cycle

Issues developed from Clinton C40

Cities workshops

Concept for water resilience using

green and blue thinking
Blue thinking
Work with the water cycle
Use green and blue space create, expand, adapt
Capture, store and release. and continuity
Design places using water
Natural/semi-natural : puddles, pools, ponds,
lakes, streams and rivers
Man-made: Taps, toilets, reservoirs, canals,
swales, fountains, ditches and drains
Green thinking
Work with the water cycle
Use green and blue space create, expand, adapt
Capture, store and release. and treat
Design places using vegetation
Natural/semi-natural: bush, tree, copse, wood,
forest, meadow, wetland
Man-made: green roof, planter, flowerbed, park,
field, footpath, hedgerow
New York City Economic Development Corporation
Green Infrastructure Design, USA : stormwater
New York City Economic Development Corporation
Green Infrastructure Design, USA : stormwater
Beam Parklands,
Dagenham, UK
Beam Parklands,
Dagenham, UK
 Knowledge People
Role of green and Role of green and
blue thinking blue thinking

Organisation
Place Role of green and
Role of green and blue thinking
blue thinking
Water in Future Cities

Water Resilience for Cities:

A Green and Blue Future

Dr Mark Fletcher