Nature-based Solutions for Circular Management of Urban Water

Despite the strong economic growth of the last decades, our modern global society is facing the existential threat of climate change. It is now realized that the linear economic model is not sustainable in the long run and cannot sustain the life standards. The new circular economy approach that is already under discussion suggests the adjustment of our priorities and the re-orientation of the future infrastructure investments. In this context, we are looking for new, innovative and sustainable solutions to increase the resiliency of our societies, to protect and restore the ecosystems, and to maintain the necessary economic growth without further undermining the planet’s boundaries. The well-being of coming generations will depend on our ability to adapt our economies to this challenge. In particular, transforming today’s cities into sustainable cities is one of the main adaptations that will be necessary. A holistic approach looking at cities from a system’s perspective is neededto achieve this goal.

Nature-based solutions (NbS) serve exactly this ambitious and multi-factorial purpose due to their inherent ability not only to tackle climate change but also to provide a series of ecosystem services and social benefits. In the urban context, NbS can deal with main challenges such as urban heat islands, flooding, treatment of wastewater and runoff and food provision. At the same time, NbS can provide a series of ecosystem services beneficial for the environment and the society including clean water production, nutrient recovery, heavy metals retention and a broad range of plant-based materials. In the new circular economy paradigm, NbS can contribute to strategies for climate change adaptation and create a holistic resource management system for the urban biosphere.

Thus, this book aims at providing a single reference that discusses the role and effectiveness of NbS in the urban environment and how these systems can contribute to the circular management of water, nutrients and resources towards resilient, sustainable and healthy cities. The scope of the book extends to various fields and disciplines such as the built environment, urban water and wastewater, resource recovery, urban farming, smart sensing, research and development, technology and innovation, society and governance. Research studies, pilot projects, and case studies are part of the book.

Dr. Alexandros Stefanakis is an Assistant Professor at the School of Chemical and Environmental Engineering, Technical University of Crete, Greece and the Director of the Laboratory of Environmental Engineering and Management. He is the elected President of the International Ecological Engineering Society and also an European Climate Pact Ambassador appointed by the European Commission. He is the Editor-in-Chief of the journal ‘Circular Economy and Sustainability’ and of the Springer book series with the same title. He is an Environmental Engineer and Researcher focusing on water engineering, specifically on nature-based solutions and ecological engineering. He studies the content and realization of circular economy across different sectors. He has designed, managed, and built constructed wetlands facilities for wastewater management across Europe, Middle East, Africa, USA and South America. His publication record includes 45 articles in scientific journals, more than 50papers in scientific conferences, 5 books and several book chapters.

Dr. Hasan Volkan Oral is a full-time Faculty Member at the Faculty of Engineering, Istanbul Aydın University. He has significant experience in Environmental Management and Carbon Market Projects as Coordinator and Supervisor. He has carried our research in Turkey, Greece, Israel and Japan. He is also a Management Committee member and WG Leader in several COST projects and research projects.

Dr. Cristina Calheiros is an Environmental Engineer and holds a PhD in Biotechnology. She is a Scientific Researcher at CIIMAR - Interdisciplinary Centre of Marine and Environmental Research of the University of Porto (UP), an Adjunct Professor at the University of Saint Joseph Macau SAR/China and an Invited Professor at the Faculty of Sciences-UP. She is also the Technical-Scientific Coordinator of the Centre for Monitoring and Environmental Interpretation (CMIA) Vila do Conde and the Vice-President of the Portuguese National Association of Green Roofs (ANCV). Her activity focuses on water management and treatment solutions (e.g., green roofs and walls, constructed and floating wetlands), phytoremediation, phytotechnologies, circular economy, climate change adaptation and mitigation through nature-based solutions and education for sustainability.

Dr. Pedro N. Carvalho, PhD., is an Associate Professor at Aarhus University. He holds BSc, MSc and PhD in chemistry. His research spans the fields of environmental chemistry, monitoring, remediation and technology development studies, and water management. His work extends over topics such as eco-technologies and nature-based solutions, water quality and reuse. He is the author of more than 50 peer-reviewed scientific publications and aided with extensive revision and editorial activity. He is also the Co-chair of the IWA Specialist Group on Wetland systems for Water Pollution Control.