Sustainable Urban Water Management Strategies

Sustainable urban water management brings together engineering, ecology and governance to secure reliable water supply, manage stormwater, safeguard water quality and bolster resilience to climate change. Central to this endeavour is the shift from purely centralised systems towards hybrid approaches that integrate decentralised treatment, reuse and green infrastructure. Blue-green infrastructure harnesses living landscapes—wetlands, swales, permeable pavements—to attenuate floods, recharge aquifers and deliver social and biodiversity benefits. Complementary approaches such as Sustainable Urban Drainage Systems emulate natural hydrology to reduce runoff and improve water quality. Integrated Urban Water Management promotes coordination across water supply, wastewater, stormwater and land-use planning, while nature-based solutions use ecosystem processes to address urban water challenges at multiple scales. Digital decision support tools and performance indices enable objective evaluation of interventions, informing policymakers and practitioners. Together, these strategies form a systemic, adaptive framework that emphasises co-benefits, stakeholder engagement and long-term governance. By linking technical innovation, ecological restoration and participatory governance, cities can progress towards water-wise and climate-resilient futures.

Research from Nature Portfolio

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Sustainable Urban Water Management Strategies publication trend

The graph below shows the total number of articles in sustainable urban water management strategies across all publications each year (not limited to Nature Index journals).

Technical terms

Blue-green infrastructure: An interconnected network of natural and engineered elements that uses vegetation and soils to manage water flows and deliver ecosystem services.

Integrated Urban Water Management (IUWM): A holistic approach to planning and operation of water supply, wastewater, stormwater and land use to achieve sustainability and resilience.

Sustainable Urban Drainage Systems (SuDS): Design practices that mimic natural drainage to control runoff quantity and quality through infiltration, detention and treatment.

Nature-based Solutions (NBS): Interventions that employ ecosystem processes and green infrastructure to address societal challenges such as flood risk and water scarcity.

Decision support tools: Analytical frameworks or software platforms that evaluate management options against sustainability, economic and governance criteria.

References

1. Blue-green infrastructure in view of Integrated Urban Water Management: A novel assessment of an effectiveness index. Water Research (2024).
2. Decision support tools of sustainability assessment for urban stormwater management – A review of their roles in governance and management. Journal of Cleaner Production (2024).
3. A review of nature-based solutions for urban water management in European circular cities: a critical assessment based on case studies and literature. Blue-Green Systems (2020).
4. A Review of Sustainable Urban Drainage Systems Considering the Climate Change and Urbanization Impacts. Water (2014).
5. Sustainable and Resilient Urban Water Systems: The Role of Decentralization and Planning. Sustainability (2019).