New research project aims to improve the ability of towns to manage water

Although February is not over yet, the month has already seen more than twice as much rainfall as usual. And these days several Danish towns are struggling against flooding. In the coming year, a new research project from Aarhus School of Architecture will examine more closely how towns can become better at incorporating water in their urban planning.

‘Our aim with the project is to increase the focus on water as a premise of urban planning. It is not just about keeping out water, it is also about utilising the recreational values of the water’, says Thomas Bo Jensen, Head of Research at Aarhus School of Architecture. He continues:

‘At Aarhus School of Architecture we are very concerned about the green agenda. This project directly addresses the problems caused by climate change. Of course, increasing amounts of water also require technical solutions, but we can help introduce a layer of historical knowledge about water and the movement of the elements in the planning debate’.

In the fall of 2019, the Danish government set aside DKK 1.5 billion for green research from Forskningsreserven (the research reserve). Aarhus School of Architecture has been allocated DKK two million of these funds for pilot projects that can further the green transition. At Aarhus School of Architecture, five research projects have been selected to benefit from this funding.

An actual atlas

The research project “The Missing Link – Når Vandene Mødes I Byen” is led by Assistant Professor Katrina Wiberg, who has previously received the Danish Arts Foundation’s so-called Dristighedspris for her research into climate adaptation. Mathias Meldgaard and Anne Mette Boye are also part of the team.

‘We are under pressure from water from all sides. The rain falls from above, groundwater rises from below, streams bring water from the hinterland, and the sea adds pressure from our shores. All this water converges in our towns; towns we have traditionally located near the water. My hope for the project is that we can contribute to municipal planning and urban development based on water and Blue-Green features. This may help solve the flooding challenges, but it can also create increased biodiversity and make the towns better places to live in’, says Katrina Wiberg.

The research project will be focusing on two towns as cases. These have not yet been chosen, but the team behind the research project expects the choice to be made soon.

‘It is imperative that our work is carried out across the different disciplines and sectors that exist in the towns. We will have to cooperate with both the municipality and suppliers, for they both have knowledge that is unique and necessary’, says Katrina Wiberg.

The research project will be developed during 2020. The results of the project should be ready in December.

‘We will be working on two cases. The cases will be towns that are located on the coast for which flooding is an issue today. By taking as a qualitative starting point e.g. the water catchment area and buildings of a specific town, we will develop methods to create a site-specific atlas, Vandets By Atlas, which will, hopefully, prove useful as a specific tool in tomorrows planning. We hope the project will be able to contribute to our municipalities’ work with the green transition by pointing out the potential opportunities of basing today’s town on water and qualities’, says Katrina Wiberg.