Reforming urban water systems through time
Making sustainable economic, social and environmental choices regarding water systems in cities is a way to improve the quality of life for residents in urban areas. In light of this, the WATERTIME project comprised of partners from Spain, Italy, UK, Germany, Finland and Hungary was formed. It canvassed expertise from the fields of economics, political science and law and examined current and long term decision-making processes on water systems through case studies in 29 European cities. One particular study was City in Time which involved a synthesis of both past and probable future results collected in the case studies. Regarding the history, several fundamental questions were taken into account. The questions focused on areas such as strategic decisions, defining factors, ways in which historical context may limit future best practices and possible limits of past technical choices on decision-making. The study also detailed a long term classification of standard water services management methods over a time frame spanning from the early 1800s to present day. The findings provide a trans-European data set useful for stakeholders and public authorities.
