WiCiD – Water In City Design

How can urban water be used as an innovative resource to reduce our carbon footprint, enhance biodiversity and create social value? WiCiD will explore this!

Climate change will affect society as a whole, with impacts on ecosystems and different sectors of society. We need to protect the built environment and key societal functions from heavy rainfall and increased amounts of stormwater.

In the Vinnova-funded research project WiCiD, we are curious about how water can simultaneously have a positive impact in the city from several aspects. How can stormwater and cloudburst solutions be chosen at a strategic level that also act as carbon sinks, contribute to increased resilience to extreme weather, create amenity values in the city for people and a good habitat for animals and nature?

Within the project, we develop a methodology for a goal-focused approach to be used from master planning to built projects. A digital decision-making tool is designed where different alternatives can be communicatively compared with each other and evaluated against the project-specific goals.

The focus is to address stormwater and rainfall issues from a holistic perspective. Which strategic solution creates the most added value for long-term sustainability? The methodology helps, for example, officials in municipal administrations and private project developers to make well-founded and informed decisions.

WiCiD stands for Water in City Design, solutions for wicked planning problems and is a Vinnova-supported research project. In the project, FOJAB collaborates with DHI Sverige AB, Zenta AB, Chalmers, Göteborgs stad, VA Syd, Lund municipality, Göteborgsregionens Kommunalförbund and Tyresö municipality.

Read also Let the water take its place!