Integrated Water Management and Nature-Based Solutions for Cleaner Urban River Corridors

The Associação de Municípios do Corredor do Rio Leça, Portugal, is preparing an URBACT IV Action Network proposal focused on integrated water management, nature-based solutions and cleaner urban river corridors. 

The proposal will bring together cities and urban territories that already have a strategic, regulatory or policy instrument related to water management, stormwater management, wastewater pressures, river restoration, blue-green infrastructure or nature-based solutions.

The network will focus on how cities can reduce pollution pressures on urban rivers, improve water quality, strengthen climate resilience and test nature-based solutions as part of integrated urban water management.

In the Leça River Basin, the proposal will be linked to the PEGA – Specific Water Management Plan for the Leça River Basin, particularly to the action focused on wastewater and stormwater management. Other partner cities may bring equivalent instruments, such as river basin plans, stormwater strategies, SUDS regulations, climate adaptation plans, blue-green infrastructure strategies, urban river restoration plans or local water management regulations.

Each partner city should identify a concrete local implementation case, such as an urban river section, stream, drainage basin, public space, industrial or commercial area, flood-prone area, stormwater runoff hotspot, wastewater/stormwater pressure point or blue-green corridor.

Policy Challenge

Urban river basins are affected by multiple and interconnected pressures: wastewater discharges, stormwater runoff, ageing drainage systems, incorrect or illegal connections, diffuse pollution from roads and urban surfaces, flood events, fragmented responsibilities and limited coordination between municipalities, water utilities, environmental authorities, private actors and local communities.

Climate change is increasing the urgency of this challenge. More frequent and intense rainfall events place additional pressure on drainage systems and increase the risk of polluted runoff, overflows, erosion and flood-related impacts on rivers and urban areas. 

Cities need integrated governance, better coordination between water management and urban planning, stronger use of data and monitoring, and practical ways to apply nature-based solutions in public and private spaces.

The network will address this implementation gap by supporting cities that already have relevant policy instruments and are ready to test concrete local actions.

Partners we are looking for: 

We are looking for cities, municipalities, metropolitan authorities or urban territories that already have, or are developing, a strategic, regulatory or policy instrument related to integrated water management and nature-based solutions.

This may include:

- a specific water management plan;

- a river basin or sub-basin management plan;

- a stormwater management strategy;

- a SUDS regulation or local drainage code;

- a blue-green infrastructure strategy;

- a climate adaptation plan with a strong water management component;

- an urban river restoration plan;

- a wastewater and stormwater management programme;

- a local regulation addressing runoff, drainage, infiltration or nature-based solutions;

- a resilience strategy linked to flooding, water quality or urban rivers.

Each partner should be able to identify a concrete local implementation case and should be ready to test, prepare or improve practical actions during the URBACT network.

The network is particularly interested in partners that can involve municipal departments, water utilities, environmental authorities, private landowners, civil society organisations, research actors and local communities.

Priority will be given to partners from regions with strong policy or regulatory experience in this field, including Catalonia, the Basque Country, the Ruhr Area, Lille / Métropole Européenne de Lille, Brussels-Flanders-Wallonia and Denmark. However, the network remains open to other European cities with comparable instruments and implementation capacity.

Discover more about our work: https://corredor.rio-leca.pt/