Urban rainwater. A liquid asset

Abstract

Climate change is a reality. Rainwater is essential to our survival. However, with intensification of the already highly modified environment of the city and rising temperatures, more frequent intense rainfall is affecting not only water quality but also basic quality of life. Sustainable drainage is not only the solution but a fundamental philosophy to do with nurturing our sense of identity and re-connection with nature. It offers the potential for transforming the way we read the urban environment, and also the potential for re-thinking what infrastructure means, how engineering interfaces with community, and the great opportunity for landscape architects to step up to the challenge.