Water and the City

Presents a starting point for debate upon what steps can be taken to reduce hazards from water, while additionally using planning and risk analysis to identify possible methods for increasing the resilience of the city against water shortages or surpluses. This book draws together information on population, water studies and spatial planning.
As a vital human need, water has been absolutely critical to decisions as to where cities originate, how much they grow and the standard of living of the inhabitants. The relationship is complex however; we need both continual availability and protection from its potential impacts. Over recent decades flooding and scarcity episodes have become commonplace in even the most advanced countries - and these events cannot be disassociated from the socio-economic context within which they occur; being directly related to how we live, where we live and how we govern.

This book draws together information on a host of connected subjects from population growth to water scarcity to the relationship between humanity and nature, then demonstrates how utilizing notions of risk and resilience could help improve the relationship between the city and its most precious resource. Combining discussions of risk, water and spatial planning it provides an invaluable text for planning, geography and urban studies students on how to address urban water problems within a rapidly changing world.