All over the world, water is becoming increasingly crucial. Long periods of drought and episodes of intense rainfall and flooding show that we need to revolutionise the way we approach water. In recent years, the City of Antwerp, Aquafin (the water treatment company in the Flemish Region) and Water-link (water distributor in the Antwerp region) have been working to gradually spread the idea that a radical paradigm shift is necessary. Liselotte De Waele, from Aquafin, guided me through Lange Riddersstraat, in the Sint-Andries district, the first in a small series of recently completed garden streets, where water management plays a central role. 

In July 2011, the heavens opened over Copenhagen. In response to this extreme weather event – which we will face more and more regularly due to climate change – the city designed its first climate-adapted square. Tådsinge Plads was built in Copenhagen ten years ago. The square was largely stripped of its mineralised surface and, in close consultation with local residents, redesigned as an “urban wilderness”. Beyond the use of materials, it is primarily water management that constitutes the main innovation of this project. Rainwater from the square, adjacent streets and neighbouring roofs is collected in retention basins and then flows into the ‘rainforest’, where it can slowly percolate into the ground. By integrating various fun educational elements into the cycle, the water also becomes visible again.