Water Sensitive Cities: Integrated Urban and Water Planning

Exploring how urban development can achieve water sensitive outcomes through planning at a range of scales.

Focused on low-lying, coastal regions in Melbourne, previous research into water sensitive cities has explored parallel swampy regions across the Southern lowlands of Victoria. Image Credit: CRCWSC D5.1 Project researchers, led by Professor Nigel Bertram, 2017.

Achieving innovative water sensitive outcomes requires greater integration between urban and water planning.

Professor Carl Grodach

The CRC for Water Sensitive Cities research project, Guiding Integrated Urban and Water Planning (IRP3) recognises that achieving innovative water sensitive outcomes requires greater integration between urban and water planning. The project aims to explore how different types of urban development can be deliberately guided, at a range of planning scales, to achieve water sensitive outcomes.

This research project will facilitate a collaborative planning process with key government, industry, and community stakeholders to:

  • identify and resolve current constraints to the delivery of water sensitive outcomes for urban redevelopment with a particular focus on middle ring suburbs
  • encourage stakeholders to commit to cooperatively negotiate, refine, assess and approve innovative approaches for the delivery of water sensitive urban redevelopment
  • identify pathways for the implementation of innovative solutions through the planning and regulatory system.

Project Introduction

Prepared for the CITYX Venice Italian Virtual Pavilion, part of the 17th International Architecture exhibition, 22 May to 21 November 2021.