Water Sensitive City Partnership met in Prague last week to prepare for implementation
The meeting brought together 23 participants from the Intermunicipal Community of Coimbra Region (CIM-RC) as Coordinators, partners from the Czech Ministry of Regional Development, Estonian Ministry of Climate, the cities of Chalandri (EL), Elche (ES), Enschede and The Hague (NL), Kalocsa (HU), Turin (IT), Viimsi Vallavalitsus (EE), as well as the Council of European Municipalities and Regions (CEMR), Acondicionamiento Tarrasense Associación - LEITAT (ES), Ãguas e Energia do Porto (PT), accompanied by the City of Písek (CZ), Czech Water Association, Young Water Professionals, and EUI.
Connecting the Partnership’s Actions
The first day opened with contributions from Věra-Karin Brázová (Head of Urban Policy and Strategy Unit at the Czech Ministry of Regional Development), Alexandru Matei (European Urban Initiative), and the Partnership coordinators, Nuno Pomar, Beatriz Pereira and André Costa (Intermunicipal Community of Coimbra Region).
Action Leaders presented progress and explored how the knowledge generated under each of the seven Actions could support the others. A recurring message was that cities need practical and implementation-oriented tools, adaptable to cities’ different territorial needs, rather than theoretical guidance and frameworks.
Participants stressed that Water Sensitive City indicators and digital tools should not only measure progress, but should also help cities assess their starting point, identify risks and guide planning decisions. The discussion also underlined the need for clear local guidance on how European and national water legislation can be translated into urban planning and municipal action, including the role of cities and regions in achieving the objectives of the EU Water Resilience Strategy.
Integrating feedback and preparing for implementation
A dedicated session examined a selection of comments received through the public consultation process and from the European Commission, with the territorial dimension emerging as a key area of interest. Participants discussed the importance of functional area approaches and intermunicipal cooperation, as well as collaboration with river basin authorities and water utilities.
The feedback received also emphasised that successful implementation of water sensitive and resilient interventions strongly depends on the capacity of local administrations, particularly in the case of smaller municipalities. Therefore, the Water Sensitive City solutions and guidance proposed should remain flexible enough to respond to different spatial realities, enable capacity building and provide guidance on identifying and involving relevant stakeholders and facilitating cross-departmental cooperation.
Following a workshop on joint visioning and advocacy led by Birgit Georgi-Haake (EUI expert), a working session led by Action Leaders was dedicated to indicators, behaviour change and capacity building. Participants identified key urban planning questions that indicators should respond to, and sought consensus on their purpose, as well as on the definition of water-sensitive behaviour. Several objectives related to behavioural change such as reducing water use, increasing soil permeability through de-sealing or rainwater reuse in households were examined and prioritised. Finally, partners discussed the most impactful delivery of capacity building activities, highlighting the role of Urban Contact Points and national authorities in disseminating the knowledge and outputs that will be created.
Best practice marketplace on water-sensitive city interventions
A best practice marketplace was also organised, featuring the cities of Písek (CZ) and WSC partner cities of Enschede (NL), The Hague (NL), Viimsi (EE), Chalandri (EL), and Valencia (ES, presented by LEITAT). The projects presented offered a glimpse into what a Water Sensitive City means in practice, and partners were invited to share their interest in further peer-to-peer learning. You can explore all six projects at the end of this article (see Related documents section).
The two-day programme concluded with an expert presentation on urban water management in Czechia and a field visit to the Štvanice Hydroelectric Power Plant (put into operation in 1914 and still in use today), supported by representatives of the Czech Water Association, Young Water Professionals and the Vltava River Basin. The power station is a protected technical cultural monument since 2002, when it also suffered heavy damage during the extreme Vltava River floods. Participants were presented the flood protection system, as well as the circular tower and the underground turbines.
Next steps
The Prague meeting provided the Partnership with a clearer basis for implementation. By discussing the linkages between Actions, key feedback from the public consultation, as well as agreeing on the purpose of outputs from the different Actions, the partners advanced towards a common objective: enabling cities to manage water as a central element of climate resilience, spatial development and quality of life, by mainstreaming water-sensitive approaches across the EU.
A report on the public consultation will be published in September 2026, after the endorsement of the Final Action Plan which is expected at the Urban Development Group (UDG) Meeting in Dublin. Follow the Water Sensitive City webpage for more updates!