Paderno Dugnano (Italy), rendering of new plan (already funded) for the creation of a new green area, with recreational spaces for citizens’ and increased permeability for improved rainwater management. Photo: Gruppo CAP
We are in a global water crisis. According to the United Nations Environment Programme, at least 50 per cent of the world’s population, around 4 billion people, have to deal with water supply shortfalls at least one month each year.
To preserve water, we need genuine political commitment and increased financing to protect and restore natural spaces. In urban areas, we can increase water resilience through the deployment of off-the-shelf solutions that can restore the urban natural water cycle.
In Europe, policy makers have adopted some good rules that can contribute to greener and smarter rainwater management. They include the revised Urban Wastewater Treatment Directive and the the EU Nature Restoration Law, probably the biggest driver for the deployment of blue and green infrastructure across European cities.
Read the full article by Luigi Petito, Head of Secretariat at WGIN’s EU Chapter in the summer 2024 issue of Living Architecture Monitor.
