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A new phase for the City Blueprint Approach in Africa

On May 31, 2021, students in  Abidjan, Lagos, Lusaka and Nairobi started applying the City Blueprint approach (CBA) in their city. The project lead by KWR, University of Bath and UNESCO aims to assess the strengths and weaknesses in urban water, waste water, municipal solid waste and the responsiveness to climate change. It provides the basis for future policymaking.

The City Blueprint approach (CBA) is a powerful tool that helps cities find the path towards sustainable integrated water resources management (IWRM). The outcome is presented in a visual that facilitates communication with stakeholders and the comparison with other cities.

The students, aged 22-33, with a background ranging from Environmental Science to Chemical Engineering, Urban Planning and Geology, share their ambitions to:

  • detect problems related to the urban management of water and sanitation resources and then provide solutions for remediation;
  • solve specific local issues when it comes to water, supply, treatment and distribution;
  • establish a basis for advanced water provision and management;
  • identify priority areas for improvement;
  • identify opportunities to improve the quality and management of urban water resources and sanitation standards, taking into account the impact of climate change;
  • contribute to the implementation of the UN Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs), notably SDG6:  Ensure availability and sustainable management of water and sanitation for all;
  • provide  policy recommendations during workshops with local decision-makers to bring findings into action;

The project partners see the added value of this project, which goes even beyond the CBA. It also stimulates collaboration and exchange of best practices amongst the four African cities and offers young students professionals expertise and opportunities.  The generated capacity-building is essential for achieving SDG6.

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