Water is a global resource for modern societies - and water was a global resource for pre-modern societies. The many different water systems serving processes of urbanisation and urban life in ancient times and the Middle Ages have hardly been researched until now. The numerous contributions to this volume pose questions such as what the basic cultural significance of water was, the power of water, in the town and for the town, from different points of view. Symbolic, aesthetic, and cult aspects are taken up, as is the role of water in politics, society, and economy, in daily life, but also in processes of urban planning or in urban neighbourhoods. Not least, the dangers of polluted water or of flooding presented a challenge to urban society. The contributions in this volume draw attention to the complex, manifold relations between water and human beings. This collection presents the results of an international conference in Kiel in 2018. It is directed towards both scholars in ancient and mediaeval studies and all those interested in the diversity of water systems in urban space in ancient and mediaeval times.

Water is a global resource for modern societies - and water was a global resource for pre-modern societies. The many different water systems serving processes of urbanisation and urban life in ancient times and the Middle Ages have hardly been researched until now. The numerous contributions to this volume pose questions such as what the basic cultural significance of water was, the power of water, in the town and for the town, from different points of view. Symbolic, aesthetic, and cult aspects are taken up, as is the role of water in politics, society, and economy, in daily life, but also in processes of urban planning or in urban neighbourhoods. Not least, the dangers of polluted water or of flooding presented a challenge to urban society. The contributions in this volume draw attention to the complex, manifold relations between water and human beings. This collection presents the results of an international conference in Kiel in 2018. It is directed towards both scholars in ancient and mediaeval studies and all those interested in the diversity of water systems in urban space in ancient and mediaeval times.

Taking as his case-study the city of Guayaquil in Ecuador, where 600,000 people lack easy access to potable water, Erik Swyngedouw aims to reconstruct, theoretically and empirically, the political, social, and economic conduits through which water flows, and to identify how power relations infuse the metabolic transformation of water as it becomes urban. These flows of water which are simultaneously physical and social carry in their currents the embodiment of myriad social struggles and conflicts. The excavation of these flows narrates stories about the city's structure and development. Yet these flows also carry the potential for an improved, more just, and more equitable right to the city and its water. The flows of power that are captured by urban water circulation also suggest that the question of urban sustainability is not just about achieving sound ecological and environmental conditions, but first and foremost about a social struggle for access and control; a struggle not just for the right to water, but for the right to the city itself.

Water is an essential element in the future of cities. It shapes cities’ locations, form, ecology, prosperity and health. The changing nature of urbanisation, climate change, water scarcity, environmental values, globalisation and social justice mean that the models of provision of water services and infrastructure that have dominated for the past two centuries are increasingly infeasible. Conventional arrangements for understanding and managing water in cities are being subverted by a range of natural, technological, political, economic and social changes. The prognosis for water in cities remains unclear, and multiple visions and discourses are emerging to fill the space left by the certainty of nineteenth century urban water planning and engineering. This book documents a sample of those different trajectories, in terms of water transformations, option, services and politics. Water is a key element shaping urban form, economies and lifestyles, part of the ongoing transformation of cities. Cities are faced with a range of technical and policy options for future water systems. Water is an essential urban service, but models of provision remain highly contested with different visions for ownership of infrastructure, the scale of provision, and the level of service demanded by users. Water is a contentious political issue in the future of cities, serving different urban interests as power and water seem to flow in the same direction. Cities in Africa, Asia, Australia, Europe and South America provide case studies and emerging water challenges and responses. Comparison across different contexts demonstrates how the particular and the universal intersect in complex ways to generate new trajectories for urban water.

A guide for urban areas to achieve sustainability by recovering water, energy, and solids Integrated Sustainable Urban Water, Energy, and Solids Management presents an integrated and sustainable system of urban water, used (waste) water, and waste solids management that would save and protect water quality, recover energy and other resources from used water and waste solids including plastics, and minimize or eliminate the need for landfills. The author—a noted expert on the topic—explains how to accomplish sustainability with drainage infrastructures connected to receiving waters that protect or mimic nature and are resilient to natural and anthropogenic stresses, including extreme events. The book shows how to reduce emissions of greenhouse gasses to net zero level through water conservation, recycling, and generating blue and green energy from waste by emerging emission free technologies while simultaneously installing solar power on houses and wind power in communities. Water conservation and stormwater capture can provide good water quality for diverse applications from natural and reclaimed water to blue and green energy and other resources for use by present and future generations. This important book: Considers municipal solid waste as an ongoing source of energy and resources that will eliminate the need for landfills and can be processed along with used water Presents an integrated approach to urban sustainability Offers an approach for reducing greenhouse gas emissions by communities to net zero Written for students, urban planners, managers, and waste management professionals, Integrated Sustainable Urban Water, Energy, and Solids Management is a must-have guide for achieving sustainable integrated water, energy, and resource recovery in urban areas.

Frontiers in Urban Water Management presents the state-of-the art in urban water management at the beginning of the 21st century. The book marks the end of the fifth phase of UNESCO's International Hydrological Programme in this field by bringing together major scientific and professional players to address critical and topical issues in water management. This team of leading world experts investigate themes such as the challenges of urban water management, infrastructure integration issues, and emerging paradigms in water supply and sanitation. Key issues are investigated from the hydrological, technical and managerial points of view, incorporating both social and economic realities. Specific reference is also made to solutions for developing countries. With a view to the future, conclusions from past experiences are highlighted, new pathways are explored and future developments are suggested. Contents The challenge of urban water management Urban water as a part of integrated catchment management Interactions with the environment Infrastructure integration issues Emerging paradigms in water supply and sanitation Problems of developing countries Economic and financial aspects Social, institutional and regulatory issues Outlook for the 21st Century

This book features expert contributions on key sustainability aspects of urban water management in Chinese agglomerations. Both technical and institutional pathways to sustainable urban water management are developed on the basis of a broad, interdisciplinary problem analysis.

This handbook provides a comprehensive, state-of-the-art overview of urban water governance. Of the many growing challenges presented by rapid urbanization, water governance is a critical one and while urban water governance is now regarded as a critical field of research, the literature is fragmented. For the first time, this handbook brings together urban water governance research, containing interdisciplinary contributions from established and emerging scholars, practitioners, and policymakers. It addresses the key questions of how urban water governance works, how is it shaped, and what the impacts are. The handbook's structure offers a progressive entry into the complexity of urban water governance. Starting with technical dimensions, the handbook addresses supply and demand, wastewater, and sanitation. It then considers regulation and economic factors, examining water utilities and services. Political processes, and the actors involved, are addressed and the handbook finishes with a part focusing on governance and sustainability, where chapters address critically important topics such as access to water, water safety, and water security. This handbook is essential reading for students, scholars, and professionals interested in urban water governance, urban studies, and water resource management and sustainability more broadly.

This book examines changes and transitions in the way water is managed in urban environments. This book originated from a joint French-Australian initiative on water and land management held in Montpellier, France. The book delivers practical insights into urban water management. It links scientific insights of researchers with the practical experiences of urban water practitioners to understand and respond to key trends in how urban water is supplied, treated and consumed. The 51 contributors to the volume provide a range of insights, case studies, summaries and analyses of urban water and from a global perspective. The first section on water supply and sanitation includes case studies from Zimbabwe, France and South Africa, among others. Water demand and water economics are addressed in the second section of the book, with chapters on long-term water demand forecasting, the social determinants of water consumption in Australian cities, a study of water quality and consumption in France, governance and regulation of the urban water sector and more. The third section explores water governance and integrated management, with chapters on water management in Quebec, in the Rotterdam-Rijnmond urban area, in Singapore and in Australia. The final section offers perspectives on challenges and future uncertainties for urban water systems in transition. Collectively, the diverse insights provide an important step forward in response to the challenges of sustainably delivering water safely, efficiently and equitably.