Project output

Cities and their rivers are undergoing significant transformations concurrently caused by rapid population growth, infrastructure development, and climate change. Consequences include increased flood risks, groundwater pollution, accelerated soil erosion, drinking water scarcity, green space depletion, and biodiversity loss. In light of these challenges, interest in novel concepts such as Nature-Based Solutions is growing, not only in academia but also among practitioners at micro-, meso-, and macro-urban scales.

Motivated by the potential of Nature-based Solutions to deliver substantial social, ecological, and societal benefits, the SEE-URBAN-WATER (SUW) research team has created a robust knowledge and methodological basis for achieving socio-ecological transformation through the inter- and transdisciplinary planning, design, and implementation of Nature-based Solutions and Green Infrastructure in highly urbanized areas susceptible to environmental and climate risks.

Running from 2018 to 2023 and funded within the framework of the Research for Sustainability program (known by its German acronym FONA) by the German Federal Ministry of Education and Research (abbreviated to BMBF in German), the SUW project has produced a range of master’s and doctoral theses, methodological frameworks, scientific publications, and technical guidelines. Culminating the project and more than a mere compendium of these outputs, this book clearly illustrates the systematic inter- and transdisciplinary evolution and interconnection of ideas for building more socially and environmentally resilient cities.

Web-version of the Open Access book

The six-year transdisciplinary work in the study area in Costa Rica enabled the co-production of new knowledge through identifying urban infrastructures, collecting hydrometeorological and hydrological data, holding community workshops, and co-designing and implementing of Nature-based Solution (NbS) prototypes. The knowledge generated contributed to improving public services such as urban drainage, wastewater treatment, microclimate regulation, public recreation, protection of water resources and disaster control. Furthermore, this knowledge is considered a foundation for proceeding towards a sustainable social-ecological transformation by virtue of the development and testing of nature-based urban drainage and greywater treatment infrastructures.

In its attempt to share this knowledge with others, the SEE-URBAN-WATER (SUW) research team compiled a compendium of guidelines, Guías Verdes (Green Guidelines, in English), for promoting and implementing Green Infrastructures in urban areas. Available in Spanish, it targets academic and non-academic stakeholders in Latin America who are either interested in or already engaged in NbS planning, implementation, operation, and monitoring. The guidelines are based on the activities conducted and experiences acquired during the development of the project in the Greater Metropolitan Area of San José, Costa Rica. They list actions to facilitate the creation of more green spaces, manage rainwater and improve water quality in cities. Acting as a procedure manual, each guideline describes the necessary steps for implementing a measure or solution in a structured and standardized format, making the knowledge accessible and available for replication.

As an additional outcome of the SUW research project, the web platform’s content is also available in book format as 'Guías Verdes – Infraestructura verde para la ciudad, sus ciudadanos y sus ríos'. As is to be expected, the book encompasses all the developed guidelines, as well as documenting additional experiences gained within the context of NbS and UGI promotion in urban watersheds. Visit GUIASVERDES.ORG to access the book.

Compendium of guidelines for the promotion of green infrastructure in urban areas

Considering the geo-spatial nature of the data and results generated through the project's place-based and transdisciplinary research, The SUW team developed a web-based data and visualization platform. This tool effectively presents all geo-spatial data related to the project's study area in an easily accessible, interactive, and user-oriented manner.

Through this web-based outcome-oriented application, we are able to provide an enriched and self-explanatory understanding of our project results through interactive content, storytelling and multimedia elements. This innovative approach goes beyond the conventional use of traditional maps and lengthy texts within scientific publications. For instance, our web apps are designed with intuitive interfaces and user-friendly features, allowing users to effortlessly experience our findings without the need for extensive explanations. Furthermore, the platform allows a variety of datasets to be queried, combining different information sources for user-specified tasks. Users (including project funders, project enthusiasts, individuals from the project area, and residents living within the project area) can thus delve in detail into both the results and Nature-based Solutions developed by SUW within specific spatial application contexts.

Web-based data and visualization platform

SEE-URBAN-WATER (SUW), in collaboration with the Research Center for Sustainable Development Studies of the University of Costa Rica, organized a closing event themed ‘Visión Urbana del Agua: Infraestructura Verde para la ciudad, sus ciudadanos y sus ríos’, which was held at the University of Costa Rica on 21–22 September 2023. Its primary objective was to present the project's key findings and facilitate a space for discussion analyzing strategies for the development of Urban Green Infrastructure in Costa Rica. Invitations to participate were extended to the project's counterparts in Costa Rica and representatives from academia, the public sector, the private sector, and civil society. A total of 94 individuals registered for the two-day event, while others took part online.

The 1st day of the event featured eight thematic presentations sharing the main results of the SUW project and presenting other experiences of local initiatives and projects related to urban water management, Nature-based Solutions and Urban Green Infrastructure.

The 2nd day of the event started with presenting the key products of the project, including the book “Nature-based Solutions and Green Infrastructure for the City, its Citizens and its Rivers - The SEE-URBAN-WATER Project”, the booklet and web platform Guias Verdes as well as an interactive demonstration of SUW's web-based data and visualization platform. Afterwards, the SUW team organized two forums that began with keynote presentations from local experts, serving at the same time as guest panelists. This set the stage for discussions on the presented topics.

Summary of the Conference

FIRST WORKSHOP

Here you can find the documentation of the first workshop with project partners from Costa Rica at TU Darmstadt, August 2019

Summary of the “Design workshop for Green Infrastructure”

SECOND WORKSHOP

From August 22-26, 2022,  took place our second workshop with project partners from Costa Rica at Leibniz University Hannover in Germany. A summary of the event can be found in the following

Intercambio de experiencias para la gestión sostenible de aguas urbanas

Two sessions of municipal exchange of experiences about Green and Blue Infrastructure in Costa Rica were held on 2 and 9 December 2020. The event was organised by the group SEE-URBAN-WATER, CIEDES (University of Costa Rica) and the German Corporation for International Cooperation (GIZ). The event counted with the cooperation and participation of the municipalities of Belén, Curridabat, Desamparados, The Union, and San José.  Experiences, comprehensive initiatives, and activities of the different municipalities about the implementation of those types of infrastructure were discussed during the sessions.