Europe: report warns major challenges remain for urban rivers and lakes
A new report by the European Environment Agency finds that rivers and lakes located in European cities and towns are getting cleaner thanks to improvements in waste water treatment and restoration projects which have brought many waterways back to life. According to the report, new forms of water management contribute to make our cities greener, smarter and more sustainable, but key challenges remain.
New forms of water management contribute to make cities greener, smarter and more sustainable, but key challenges remain, according to a new report by the European Environment Agency (EEA) released this week. The EEA report ‘Rivers and lakes in European cities: Past and future challenges,’ assesses the strategies and measures authorities have taken in urban centres to improve the state of local rivers and lakes.
These can serve as useful examples of lessons learned on urban planning and design approaches for socially and environmentally-resilient cities. Case studies involving 17 cities from across Europe, including Aarhus, Bucharest, Leipzig, Madrid, Oslo and Vienna, were screened for the assessment.
The report looks at the major challenges urban river and lakes have to deal with, including availability and supply of drinking water, water quality, flood protection and management, well-being and quality of life benefits, and stakeholder involvement in governance issues.