Many cities and towns in Australia and around the world face three critical challenges in managing water resources, waterways, river basins and coastal environments, and ultimately people’s quality of life:

• a rapidly growing population with changing lifestyles and values;

• a changing and highly variable climate; and

• a challenging economic environment.​

Population growth increases the pressure on water resources, with water scarcity and pollution posing the greatest risks.

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Climate change is resulting in more extreme weather events such as floods, heatwaves, bushfires, increasing periods of drought, and more frequent and intense storms and cyclones that can lead to loss of life while adding extra pressure on our water-related infrastructure and homes located in vulnerable places. Our urban water systems need to be resilient enough to anticipate the “shocks” brought on by these increasingly extreme climate patterns.

 

Further, when cities and towns are constructed, the natural landscape is dramatically altered: vegetation and soil are replaced with hard, impervious surfaces and buildings. This leads to the development of unique urban climates that are quite different from those of surrounding natural environments. The common results: an increase in air pollution, modified rainfall patterns, and higher air temperatures.

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Lastly, a tightening economic climate favours a focus on cost saving and increased efficiency, achieved through micro-economic reform. Under these challenging conditions, delivering innovative solutions – toward creating more water sensitive cities and towns. This is not easy but in Adelaide, with appropriate stakeholders communicating and collaborating effectively, it is achievable.

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Implementing Water Sensitive Urban Design (WSUD) strategies in our cities focuses on nature-based solutions for stormwater management  which are usually lower cost, involve less resources, and are overall more sustainable.