Working together for water resilient cities

A converted brewery on the banks of the River Dijle in Mechelen was host to an important meeting last week about the integration of water management with the development of towns and cities and the management of landscapes, funded through the Interreg 2 Seas Programme.

The water-related effects of climate change are causing increasing problems for people and communities everywhere. Flooding from rainwater during heavy storms, and inundation from rivers and from the seas all put lives and livelihoods in danger and place huge costs on society – but policy has been slow to change.

Alex Midlen, Chairperson of the event and WRC’s Lead Partner for Plymouth City Council (UK) commented:

“The popularity of the event surprised us all – we were fully booked! There is clearly a growing awareness of the urgency of incorporating adaptation to climate change into our decision making, but also a need to create a better dialogue between specialists and decision makers. This is a big challenge and we hope that by collaborating with other 2 Seas projects we can have a greater impact and create more livable communities.”

The Interreg 2 Seas funded project Water Resilient Cities, and sister projects Sponge 2020 and SCAPE came together for a day in Mechelen, Belgium to identify how they can work together to develop a comprehensive policy response, and to share their experiences. The event was attended by over 80 professionals from public authorities, designers, engineers, architects and more…. One of the signature themes of the event was to work together to spread the message of climate change and the need to take action to adapt to its effects, and to change mindsets.

All event presentations are available on the project web page. Pictures taken at the event can be found here.