Water Must Drive City Planning

Six of the ten largest US cities are located in the arid southwest region. Would that be the case if water availability had influenced land use planning a century ago? The predicted scale of future urban growth means that land use planning and regional growth plans simply must consider where people’s water will come from.

Urban planners must take water availability into account when considering new developments.

Keeping up with global urban growth projections for 2030 will mean developing an area the equivalent of 20,000 American Football fields a day between now and 2030. And it’s estimated that accommodating the water demands of this growth will take the equivalent of 20 Nile Rivers. We have to think about where this water will come from and plan accordingly.

Traditionally, growth has been based on economic activity, business and industrial opportunities, education, transport and commerce. But now water availability needs to drive how and where cities grow. Otherwise tension will arise between nations (or within nations). We could see water wars or, in the worst case, cities may not have enough clean water to supply their residents.

Factoring in water availability could significantly change the shape of urban developments. The town […]

Full article: Water Must Drive City Planning