Project Updates
Here we present updates on significant PolyUrbanWaters project activities and milestones. We are also on social media:
21 December 2019
Developing a Market for Polycentric Wastewater Treatment Solutions: First Findings from AIT Study
The Asian Institute of Technology (AIT), Bangkok, has begun conducting a study on the drivers of market development for polycentric wastewater treatment solutions in Thailand. The aim is to foster a comprehensive understanding of how an enabling regulatory environment can support substantial engagement of the private sector, even in less wealthy neighborhoods. First findings show that innovative incentive schemes are crucial for overcoming deficiencies in public structures and for mobilizing private-sector engagement to establish a water-sensitive infrastructure that contributes to inclusiveness in Thai society.
15 December 2019
Localizing National SDG Policy in Cambodia: CIUS Study to Lay Groundwork for Pilot Activities
The Cambodian Institute of Urban Studies (CIUS) has begun elaborating a study to explore the evolving context of national SDG policy in Cambodia in water/urban development and the challenges of breaking these down at the local level. The study encompasses governance structures, mandates and financial schemes as well as the capacities of public structures, the private sector and civil society. Existing policies, tools and potential instruments for establishing water-sensitive infrastructure will be identified. The study is meant to situate upcoming PolyUrbanWaters pilot activities in Kratie within a national context.
4 December 2019
Water-Sensitive Cities in Vietnam: Assessing Opportunities & Constraints
As a PolyUrbanWaters project partner, the Vietnam Academy for Water Resources (VAWR) has begun conducting an assessment of the opportunities and constraints that local government structures face in supporting the development of water-sensitive cities. In addition to identifying entry points for the localization of SDGs in the urban water sector, the study will contribute to the specification of the “Polycentric approaches to the management of urban waters” concept in Vietnam.
15 November 2019
Contextual Studies in Sleman, Indonesia: Defining the Importance of Water
During the second PolyUrbanWaters mission in Sleman, project partners from Universitas Gadjah Mada, Kota Kita, TU Berlin and TH Köln carryied out contextual studies in Sleman’s urban and peri-urban areas. The focus was on defining the importance of water in a city along with its challenges and understanding in the community.
11 November 2019
Second Mission in Sam Neua, Laos: Assessing the Complexities of a Green City Vision
During the second PolyUrbanWaters mission in Sam Neua, project partners from TH Köln, BORDA and the City of Bremen participated in constructive brainstorming sessions with local decision makers and visited potential sites for PolyUrbanWaters implementation. The focus of the project team was to assess the complex interconnections between the green city vision of Sam Neua and the expected socio-economic, environmental and climatic changes in the region.
7 November 2019
Scoping Workshops and Studies in Kratie, Cambodia
During kick-off workshops in Kratie, the PolyUrbanWaters team together with partner consortia and local stakeholders conducted contextual studies and defined potential local sites for implementation of polycentric approaches to urban water management. The aim: localizing multifunctional, livable public spaces, with their characteristic and various challenges in urban transformation.
29 October 2019
Assessment in Kratié (Cambodia) and Second Mission to Sam Neua (Laos) and Sleman (Indonesia)
In the November–December 2019 mission, the PolyUrbanWaters team will visit project sites in each city to conduct scoping workshops and contextual studies, with the aim of defining partner consortia and local sites for implementation of polycentric approaches to urban water management. Particular points for discussion and evaluation will be the topic of water in the city and options for each city to become water-sensitive and climate change-resilient. The field work will serve to define key transformation challenges that are relevant for the development of fast-growing, peri-urban areas, highlighting possible synergies and co-benefits between water and urban development issues. In addition, the project team will conduct stakeholder and process analyses to identify the main actors (including local communities) for involvement in the project implementation.
19 October 2019
Launch of Penang Platform for Sustainable Urbanization
Following the agreements made at the coordination meeting with UNESCAP in September 2019, PolyUrbanWaters contributed to the launch of the Penang Platform for Sustainable Urbanization. The aim is to integrate “water” much more in inter-sectorial city planning than is currently the practice, with the development and implementation of innovative instruments for financing water-sensitive cities as a key element in the transformation to sustainable urban areas.
15 September 2019
Kick-Off of PolyUrbanWaters in Vientiane and Sam Neua, Laos
PolyUrbanWaters was launched in Laos from 9-13 September 2019. The Laos Department of Housing and Urban Planning underlined the need to spur new approaches to ensure effective provision of water-related public services and to support water-sensitive urban development in Laos’ small and medium-sized towns. The province and city administrations welcomed PolyUrbanWaters for its translation of the “Green, clean, beautiful and peaceful Sam Neua” policy in the area of managing urban waters. Visits to sites such as the new urban development area, the drinking water reservoirs, the municipal waste landfill and pilot sites for community based sanitation contributed to a first rapid assessment of water-related challenges in Sam Neua.
9 September 2019
Coordination Meeting with United Nations Economic and Social Commission for Asia and the Pacific
At a meeting in Bangkok at 6 September 2019, UNESCAP and a delegation from PolyUrbanWaters identified fields of cooperation. It was agreed that PolyUrbanWater will support the implementation of the Penang Platform for Sustainable Urbanization by continuously feeding project-developed tools (integrated urban planning, water sensitive urban development, financial tools) into this regional process and by facilitating the exchange of good practices between cities.
5 September 2019
Kick-Off of PolyUrbanWaters in Sleman, Indonesia
The PolyUrbanWaters Project officially started with kick-off workshop and visits in Sleman, Indonesia from 2-4 September 2019. Project partners, local municipalities and communities were involved in several working sessions, presentations, introductions and networking events. As part of the numerous activities in Sleman Regency, the project team conducted a wide range of field visits. These include the Kalibuntung riverside area in the Karangwaru district of Yogyakarta City, the IPA Gamping clean water treatment plant, the community-based drinking water provider PAMDES Tirtomakmur Kadirojo, the Embung Tambakboyo water retention basin, the IPLT Tinjon Madurejo sludge treatment plant, and the community-based water management organization OPA (Organisasi Pengelola Air) Tirtomulyo. Exchanges with representatives of the local government and the introduction of the PolyUrbanWaters project were the main focus of the workshop.
February 2018
PolyUrbanWaters at World Urban Forum 9 in Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia
At WUF 9, held 8-17 February 2018, the outcome of the PolyUrbanWaters definition phase was discussed during a workshop and presented at two side events: one as part of the official program and one at the Federal Government of Germany’s booth. In the workshop, a first approach on strategic SDG planning was organized with the cities of Bac Ninh (Vietnam), Kratié (Cambodia), Leh (India), Sleman (Indonesia) and South Tangerang (Indonesia). In the participating cities and districts, water management issues are of central importance and reflect location-specific challenges. The dynamics of urban development make supply gaps and overuse of natural resources increasingly clear. Pollution of groundwater bodies is accompanied by problems such as increasing vulnerability to heavy rainfall events brought about by climate change. WUF 9 workshop participants agreed that water is a key to creating livable and inclusive cities. Polycentric approaches for the management of urban waters may contribute to an overall change of mindset in decision making that supports the localization of the SDGs.