About

About Project WISER Cities

Development of Water Footprint Decision Support and Visualization System for Sustainable Urban Water Management

The Project

Decision Support Systems for Water Management

Urbanization trends indicate that more than two-thirds of the world's population will reside in cities by 2050. Global temperatures have risen by 1.1°C, and a 20–30% increase in flood risk is projected for many urban areas. Nearly 80% of the world's wastewater is discharged untreated into rivers, lakes, and oceans, worsening water quality.

The WISER Cities project aims to assist local government units and decision makers in achieving sustainable water management through the development of a simplified water footprint accounting framework, serving as the basis for an integrated decision support and visualization system.

This initiative also emphasizes the integration of green infrastructure solutions, which complement traditional approaches by enhancing water resilience, reducing runoff, and providing co-benefits such as improved urban livability and ecosystem health. By embracing water footprint accounting and its holistic approach, cities can not only secure their water futures but also contribute to the global endeavor of building water-resilient and sustainable urban environments.

>66%

of the world's population will live in cities by 2050

1.1°C

rise in global temperatures with 20–30% increase in flood risk

~80%

of wastewater discharged untreated globally

Objectives

Project Objectives

Aid LGUs in sustainable urban water management through a simplified water footprint accounting tool as the basis for an integrated decision support and visualization system.

Water Footprint Accounting

Develop a simplified water footprint accounting framework that quantifies blue, green, and gray water use at the city scale as the basis for an integrated decision support system.

Decision Support System

Build an integrated decision support and visualization system that translates complex hydrologic data into actionable policy insights for local government units.

Green Infrastructure Integration

Integrate green infrastructure solutions that complement traditional approaches by enhancing water resilience, reducing runoff, and providing co-benefits such as improved urban livability and ecosystem health.

Framework

Conceptual Framework

The conceptual framework of the project that serves as reference for project implementation.

Methods

Methodology

Our research follows a rigorous pipeline from field measurement to policy recommendation, using numerical modeling with calibration and validation against observed data.

Outputs