Cities from five continents - Amman, Cape Town, Greater Miami and the Beaches, Hull and Mexico City - have been selected to contribute to the development of a global framework for water resilience.
The City Water Resilience Framework (CWRF), developed by Arup with support from The Rockefeller Foundation, will help cities better prepare for and respond to shocks and stresses to their water systems.
The cities were selected because they represent the range of water challenges facing cities around the world. They have also been selected because of their diversity in terms of size of population, geographic location and economic status and because of their commitment to taking a strategic approach to resilience.
With a population of 323,000 and 90 per cent of the city standing below the high-tide line, Hull is particularly vulnerable to rising sea levels. The city has experienced extensive flooding in recent years.
The project will explore the specific water concerns of each city through field research and stakeholder interviews conducted with Arup. Data and findings will be used to establish qualitative and quantitative indicators to measure city water resilience, for use in any city anywhere.
The resulting City Water Resilience Framework will be a global standard for water resilience, which enables cities to diagnose challenges related to water and utilize that information to inform planning and investment decisions.
The development framework is being overseen by a Steering Group with representatives from The Rockefeller Foundation, 100 Resilient Cities, the World Bank, University of Massachusetts-Amherst, the Alliance for Global Water Adaptation (AGWA) and The Resilience Shift.
Dr. Mark Fletcher, Arup Global Water Leader commented:
“A changing climate coupled with rapid urbanisation is increasing the frequency of water related crises facing cities. Increasingly, unpredictable rainfall, flooding and droughts are impacting cities across their water cycle. To develop a global framework we’ve selected five diverse cities, all facing very different water challenges. By understanding a wide range of issues, being played out in different contexts, we will be able to help all cities to understand how to assess the risks they are facing, and how to prioritise action and investments to become more resilient.”
Mark Jones, Hull City Council’s Director of Regeneration, said the partnership would enhance the work already being done on flood prevention infrastructure, whilst opening up the opportunity for economic growth within the city.
Hull has also recently joined forces with Yorkshire Water, the Environment Agency and the East Riding of Yorkshire Council to launch a joint initiative called Living with Water.
The collective aim of the group is to transform Hull and neighbouring Haltemprice into an exemplar for resilience. Asopesperson for the Group described the City Water Resilience Framework as a chance to showcase internationally how joint-working with the four partners – Hull City Council, East Riding of Yorkshire Council, Yorkshire Water and the Environment Agency – brings greater understanding of the challenges for water resilience.
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