Extreme rainfall can leave city streets under water. Drought can put pressure on the water supply. Two severe cases that are becoming more and more of a reality, fueled by climate change and rapidly increasing urbanization. These and other developments leave cities no choice: adaptation is necessary.
Assesment tool
How can a city quickly assess which elements of its water cycle are functioning well and which need to be adapted? The City Blueprint is a practical assessment tool that can help urban areas understand their options to achieve a water-wise city. The City Blueprint consists of three complementary frameworks: the main challenges of cities are assessed with the:
- Trends and Pressures Framework (TPF); next,
- the City Blueprint® Framework (CBF) demonstrates how cities are managing their water cycle; and
- the Governance Capacity Framework (GCF) helps cities to understand and improve their water governance.
Application of the tool
Three researchers from Kenya, South Africa and Indonesia applied these tools in different capacities.
- Daniel Ddiba, a researcher at the Stockholm Environment Institute and KTH Royal Institute of Technology, applied the Governance Capacity Framework (GCF) in a case study on the circular economy of organic waste streams in Naivasha, Kenya.
- Melvin Gale applied the City Blueprint tool in the city of Durban, South Africa and the Governance Capacity Analysis (GCF) in the region of Pongola-Umzimkulu, South Africa.
- To compare the management of water-related challenges in Asian cities, Annisa Noyara Rahmasary applied the City Blueprint Approach in Bandung, Indonesia.
Daniel Ddiba, researcher at the Stockholm Environment Institute and KTH Royal Institute of Technology applied the City Blueprint tool in Kenya