Water resilient Järfälla

Water-Resilient Järfälla: A dual strategy plan for water resilienceBy Evy de Bruine, Maria Viteri, Stella Levin and Tycho Taeckens¶

Urban areas like Järfälla exhibit a paradoxical relationship with water, heavily relying on it as aresource while disrupting the natural water cycle. Simultaneously, this disruption makes theseurban areas vulnerable to flooding, drought and therefore also water and soil contamination,which are the three main problems in our research-project. The attitude of the urban towardswater is usually a case of 'out of sight, out of mind’, mostly dealing with water through a centralizedinvisible drainage system. This, however, focuses purely on the supply and demand ofwater as a resource and does not acknowledge water as part of an ecological entity. This reportresearches urban water management from a new perspective. Currently, water-related challenges,such as flooding, drought, and contamination are all in the first place considered challengesbecause of the effects of climate change. In this report, however, we argue that water challengesare considered challenges because of the way we live and build our cities, not the otherway around (Watson & Adams, 2010). So instead of adapting to heavier rainfall by artificial solutions,this report goes to the origin of the problem, which is a lack of planning and design.¶

The main problem which Järfälla has recurring is flooding. In a mere biotic landscape, floodingis considered a necessary natural process. For instance, flooding enriches the fertility of the soil,creates habitats, supports biodiversity, and so on. However, because of considering flooding asa disaster, flooding as a natural process is little understood and appreciated within urban planning.These insights thus show how the first shift that needs to happen is a mental one, whichunderstands water as a part of a cycle and thus looks at water from an ecological perspective.¶

The main objective of this report is to tackle three main challenges regarding water in Järfälla:flooding, drought, and water and soil contamination. This essay argues that these problems areintertwined. Flooding and drought are interconnected through the hydrological cycle. Excessiverainfall can lead to flooding, while prolonged periods of reduced rainfall result in drought.Water and soil contamination can exacerbate these issues. Contaminated soil may not absorbwater efficiently, increasing runoff during heavy rainfall and contributing to flooding. Conversely,during droughts, the presence of contaminants in the soil can affect water quality, makingit even scarcer and potentially harmful for human consumption. As mentioned, the existingapproach primarily involves expelling water from the city using centralized artificial systems.While this method addresses flood risk, it falls short in addressing issues related to contamination,drought, and water scarcity. Moreover, this type of drainage makes it possible to sealthe soil further to generate profit. Today, urban development still is mostly associated with expansionand concretization. This essay wants to break through this association by introducingnew ways of dealing with these challenges. The question is thus: how can we bridge daily humanneeds - living, transport, and consumption - in a way they don’t disturb the water cycle?¶

Report available here: ¶