Cities can learn from each other, and many face the same water challenges. Some of these varied challenges are captured through the development and implementation of the City Water Resilience Approach since 2018.

Developed with city stakeholders over multiple engagements, piloted and tested, and then implemented in selected early adopter cities, the CWRA has also been adapted for use remotely and is to be used in six Africa city regions as part of its use in the WRI’s programme Urban Water Resilience in Africa.

For those interested in city case studies, you can find City Characterisation Reports for 9 cities that capture the critical first step in this process of understanding the local water system, and the factors that contribute to or detract from resilience.

You can also access the detailed Water Resilience Profiles for 4 cities. These show how cities can use the CWRA methodology to bring stakeholders together to develop a comprehensive assessment of water management in a city and translate this diagnosis into opportunities to improve the water resilience of the city. The documents describe the assessment process and its results, identifying strengths that can be leveraged and built on, as well as those areas that can be improved to ensure water security and protection from water shocks and stresses in the city. They set out how the insights from the assessment translate these conclusions into tangible new actions that build each city’s water resilience.

You can also explore how the Approach helps cities and their stakeholders to map their water systems using the OurWater digital governance tool which helps users visualise the processes, stakeholders and infrastructure that make up their city’s water system.