Envisioning a water sensitive city - Case studies from europe and the USA

Recent advances in the science and engineering of sustainable stormwater management systems have demonstrated that stormwater can be successfully managed on the surface, even in dense urban environments. In most cases these are planted mechanisms imbedded in the street or sidewalk. But there are some examples that go further, seeking to purvey stormwater for aesthetic and social benefit. Often, rainwater is an overlooked and underappreciated resource, but it can be re-defined for its services as an urban amenity. Therefore, WSUD should not be merely focused on ecological sensitivity, but finding opportunities to combine the demands of sustainable stormwater management with the demands of city planning though inspiring, attractive and usable solutions that are appreciated by the public and professionals. But what does living in harmony with rainwater actually look like? And, how can the vision of a water sensitive city be realized in a dense urban environment? In the scope of the European research project SWITCH (www.switchurbanwater.eu), researchers at the HafenCity University of Hamburg, Germany were concerned with these questions. This paper showcases selected case studies of different scales from the results documented in the book "Water Sensitive Urban Design - Principles and Inspiration for Sustainable Stormwater Management in the City of the Future", which has been recently published by Jovis (www.jovis.de).