Shaping Tomorrow’s Cities In Times of Water and Climatic Extremes ?CALL FOR PAPERS!?

The world is becoming increasingly urbanised with a majority of the population living and working in cities. Increasing urbanisation and economic growth can provide significant community benefits as well as challenges. With urban growth, escalating resource use and climate change impacts, fresh water will become scarcer in many cities and flood risk will increase (Goodell, 2017; Hallegatte et al., 2013).

Ensuring our urban environment remains a safe and pleasant place to live demands creativity and making the right choices. When disasters strike, they often manifest themselves through water. Almost 90% of all natural disasters are water related (UNESCO, 2012). Floods, landslides, tsunamis, storms, heat waves, cold spells, droughts, and waterborne disease outbreaks are all becoming more frequent and more intense. The impacts and costs of these events are exacerbated by factors such as unplanned urbanisation and degradation of ecosystem services. Reducing risk to, and improving the resilience of, water and sanitation services will be key to maintain liveability during a climatically uncertain future.

We are pleased to invite you to submit a manuscript to Journal of Water and Climate Change for peer review and possible publication in this Special Issue on ‘Shaping tomorrow’s cities in times of water and climatic extremes’.

Why this special issue?

Cities are at the forefront of climate change action. With about 55% of the world’s population living in cities, and with 70% of the global population expected to live in urban areas by 2050. And water is the heart of climate action. In cities worldwide, water is the connecting challenge, the number one global risk and the opportunity for transformative and sustainable impact and comprehensive cultural change (Henk Ovink, Water as Leverage, 2016).

With the special issue we want to provide the field with an up-to-date overview of recent research results, trending developments, innovations, best practices, and research gaps. We also want to take a critical look at the mainstreaming of water in climate change action. The leading cities that have embraced water (and green) in its planning have now been on their way for 25 years. What can we learn from these examples? What can we expect in the next 25 years and even 100 years from now?

This special issue provides input to the IPCC development of a Special Report on Climate Change and Cities as part of its 7th assessment cycle (AR7).

Topics to be covered

• Climate Change, Extreme Weather, Urban Heat Island,
• Water Extremes, i.e. Floods and Droughts,
• Sinking Cities, i.e. Land Subsidence,
• Water Supply and Sanitation,
• Urban Growth and Densification, Land Use/ Land Cover Changes,
• Integrated Urban Water Management, Sustainable Drainage Systems,
• Nature-Based Solutions, Blue-Green Infrastructure,
• Water-Sensitive Urban Design, Water-Sensitive Planning,
• Urban Resilience, Climate Adaptation Strategies, Sustainability Transitions,
• Blue-Green Cities, Sponge Cities, Water-Wise Cities, Water-Resilient Cities.

Preferably these topics fit into the three dimensions of the new paradigm in water management in cities under urban densification and climate change:

1. ‘Primary focus’, which is developing from ‘Urban (storm) water management’ and ‘Whole of urban stormwater cycle management’ to ‘Integration of water management with nature in urban areas’.
2. ‘Specificity’, which could be on ‘Specific techniques (structural and non-structural)’, ‘Urban planning concepts’ or ‘Transition strategies (broad principles)’.
3. ‘Governance and finance’, which include ‘Stakeholder participation and action’, ‘Engaging with local communities’, ‘Education and capacity building’.

Editors

• Managing Editor: Prof. D. Nagesh Kumar
• Guest Editors: Ted Veldkamp , Prof Dr Ashok Kumar , Nanco Dolman

How to submit?

Please visit the Call for Papers online: Special Issue Cities of the future | Journal of Water and Climate Change | IWA Publishing (iwaponline.com)

If you are interested in submitting a contribution and first want to discuss your idea (i.e. abstract) with the guest editors for this Special issue, please contact them directly.