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Finding a way to
quench cities’ thirst
By Kathrine Schmeichel
The world’s rapidly
growing cities have
stretched water
supplies to the limit,
but a project under
development by cowi
could make the urban
water cycle more
sustainable
The ingredients making up the new concept 'sustainable
urban water' are simple: rainwater, drinking water,
wastewater and recreational water.
“Our basic premise is that all water begins as rainwater,”
says Jes Clauson-Kaas, a Senior Project Manager at
cowi. “It then runs off into streams, lakes or underground
aquifers.”
He and other cowi specialists have joined the Danish
Hydraulic Institute and consultancy ALECTIA Aqua to
develop this basic premise and apply it to sustainable
water solutions in new cities and neighbourhoods.
Pressure on the world’s water resources
is so significant, explains Clauson-Kaas,
that it can only be mitigated if sustainable
water and sewage networks are integrated
in the early planning phase of cities.
“A sustainable use of rainwater will
involve using precipitation locally, which
reduces the cost of treatment and transport,
as well as helping to prevent drought
and flooding.”
Photo: Ulrik Jantzen
Mapping hate crimes and discrimination
cowi consultants Mikael Keller and Mads Ted Drud-
Jensen, together with the Danish Institute for Human
Rights, have created the most complete picture to date
of homophobia, transphobia and discrimination on the
grounds of sexual orientation and gender identity. Their
report has been expanded to include 20 non-EU states
that sit on the Council of Europe, and is published at a
time when the European Commission is considering a
horizontal EU directive against discrimination which
would include sexual orientation.
@ Mikael
@ Mads
Keller, Project Manager,
mikl@cowi.com
Ted Drud-Jensen,
sociologist, mtdj@cowi.com
Read more at cowi.com
under projects
Wanted: test city
The big challenge right now for the team
working on the sustainable urban water
project is to identify a city they can use as
a proving ground for their ideas.
The group is keeping an especially close
watch on China, which they say has major
problems with its water supplies.
“Especially northern China,” Clauson-Kaas says.
“Within the past couple of years, 40 new cities have been
built, and many of those cities would benefit from our
concept.”
The Gulf region, which has also seen cities sprouting
up and water supplies dwindling, is another area the
group is watching.
@ Jes
Clauson-Kaas, Senior Project
Manager, jkc@cowi.com
http://www.dhigroup.com/
http://en.alectia.com/Emner/
Forretningsenheder/Aqua.aspx
www.cowi.com/sustainable
China and the Middle East have seen cities shoot up at a
rapid pace, and COWI’s water experts say that a
sustainable urban water plan has a lot of potential
in both areas. Photo: COWI
10 • International news magazine from cowi International news magazine from cowi • 11