Water resilient Järfälla

Water-Resilient Järfälla: A dual strategy plan for water resilience

By 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 a
resource while disrupting the natural water cycle. Simultaneously, this disruption makes these
urban 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 towards
water is usually a case of 'out of sight, out of mind’, mostly dealing with water through a centralized
invisible drainage system. This, however, focuses purely on the supply and demand of
water as a resource and does not acknowledge water as part of an ecological entity. This report
researches urban water management from a new perspective. Currently, water-related challenges,
such as flooding, drought, and contamination are all in the first place considered challenges
because of the effects of climate change. In this report, however, we argue that water challenges
are considered challenges because of the way we live and build our cities, not the other
way 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, flooding
is 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 as
a 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, which
understands 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 are
intertwined. Flooding and drought are interconnected through the hydrological cycle. Excessive
rainfall 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 absorb
water efficiently, increasing runoff during heavy rainfall and contributing to flooding. Conversely,
during droughts, the presence of contaminants in the soil can affect water quality, making
it even scarcer and potentially harmful for human consumption. As mentioned, the existing
approach 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 seal
the soil further to generate profit. Today, urban development still is mostly associated with expansion
and concretization. This essay wants to break through this association by introducing
new ways of dealing with these challenges. The question is thus: how can we bridge daily human
needs - living, transport, and consumption - in a way they don’t disturb the water cycle?

Report available here: