Stockholm International Water Institute » urbanisation

On the Water Front: Selections from the 2011 World Water Week in Stockholm

admin — Thu, 15 Nov 2012 16:57:53 +0000

On the Water Front vol. 3 offers a collection of innovative and important insights on that were presented at the 2011 World Water Week in Stockholm, which was held under the theme”Responding to Global Changes: Water in an Urbanised World”. This compendium is a must-read for those interested in the latest knowledge, tools and strategies to resolve the planet’s most pressing urban water challenges. Each chapter in this publication is authored by prominent and experienced colleagues from science and public policy and builds upon research presented at the 2011 World Water Week in Stockholm, August 21-26, 2011. The texts submitted have been peer reviewed by the members of the World Water Week Scientific Programme Committee (SPC) and other colleagues who are familiar with the topics discussed in the articles in line with the procedures applied in Scientific Journals.

California – Balancing regional sustainability and imported

admin — Thu, 15 Nov 2012 16:49:30 +0000

Water leaders in Southern California (and the San Francisco Bay Area) will be increasingly challenged to implement a new state policy on regional sustainability and self-sufficiency while reducing the urban dependence on imported water supplies. The future of massive urban water projects is not clear and will be a central part of this public policy debate.

Stockholm Water Front No. 1 2011

admin — Thu, 15 Nov 2012 16:49:20 +0000

In this issue of Stockholm Water Front we try to grasp lessons from unconventional plans to address water for urban centres in Australia, California and Jordan. As these plans differ immensely in medium-to-long term scope they deal with water scarcity in urbanising regions with holistically different ways. We also touch on the surface of the fresh water lakes interdependent relationship with human activities a research topic that the 2011 Stockholm Water Laureate is deeply involved in, and one that gives ecology a rightful voice in the debate on the theme of the 2011 World Water Week in Stockholm, water in an urbanising world.

Stockholm Water Front No. 4 2010

admin — Thu, 15 Nov 2012 16:48:55 +0000

This issue of the Stockholm Water Front looks into some statistics and arguments related to urbanisation in conjunction with the theme of the 2011 World Water Week in Stockholm: Responding to Global Changes: Water in an Urbanising World.

Demographic changes cannot be separated from climate changes. In his reflections on some of the fundamental issues related to climate change, SIWIs Mats Eriksson draws some arguments related to an increased focus on adaptation versus mitigation.

Erosion and sedimentation in China is assessed by Zhou Zhide and Tong Yuling, from the International Research and Training Centre on Erosion and Sedimentation, Beijing, China. They look into how natural pollution affects water quality globally, and the human equation in the process.

SIWIs John Joyce reflects upon the effects of the international financial crisis on financial flows for the water sector in Africa, based upon a recently published SIWI report. The two main conclusions being that: (a) local governments and households (who are not well integrated in the international economy and therefore not heavily effected by the crisis) play a crucial role in financing water sector related infrastructure in Sub-Saharan Africa, (b) Chinese Arab investments may have played a stabilising role in Sub-Saharan Africa during the recent financial crisis. Therefore, the effects have not been as severe as what could have been expected.

And Mr. John Feighery, PhD candidate at Columbia University and winner of the Best Poster award during the 2010 World Water Week in Stockholm wrote for this issue of the Stockholm Water Front about his research on water quality in Bangladesh which won him this honour.

Stockholm Water Front No. 4 2007

admin — Thu, 15 Nov 2012 16:37:50 +0000

Like the upcoming 2008 World Water Week, this issue of Water Front will place special focus on sanitation issues to give a glimpse of the broad breadth of the challenge, featuring several articles on the topic that range from critical home hygiene to the expansive task of producing sustainable sanitation in growing cities.

Urban Sanitation: Politics in a Dirty World

admin — Thu, 15 Nov 2012 16:37:46 +0000

The Joint Monitoring Programme (JMP) of UNICEF and the World Health Organization estimates that access to basic sanitation in urban populations crept up from 79 to 80 percent between 1990 and 2004. One percent may seem minimal, but in conjunction with the increasing size of urban populations the absolute numbers of unserved urban people rose from 475 million to 611 million over the same period. Still, some countries are showing signs of steady progress.

Published in Water Front Magazine No.4 2007.

Stockholm Water Front No.1 2004

admin — Thu, 15 Nov 2012 16:31:14 +0000

This issue of Water Front contains a preview of World Water Week 2004 and its seminars and workshops connected to the theme Drainage Basin Management: Regional Approaches for Food and Urban Security. Get a closer look at the seminar topics Ecological sanitation and Disasters and food.

Stockholm Water Front No. 2 2000

admin — Thu, 15 Nov 2012 16:27:14 +0000

Safe, adequate and reliable water supply and sanitation is a challenge to achieve in fast urbanisation and rapid population growth in megacities as São Paolo. To succeed in managing urban water supplies the answer is demand management and environmental conservation, according to Professor Monica Porto in this issue of Water Front.

Desert City Visions: Decision Making under Uncertainty

admin — Thu, 15 Oct 2009 15:42:03 +0000

Since 2000, the desert city of Phoenix Arizona has welcomed more than one million residents and now boasts a population of more than 4.3 million people. Water is the critical resource driving urban growth, economic development and ecosystem function.

Published in Water Front Magazine No. 2 2009.