Session C5 - Guides and tools for capacity-building

In the Netherlands, municipalities are responsible for wastewater collection, stormwater management and groundwater management. Traditionally, this involved combined and separated sewer systems. Since a few decades this also involves all types of blue-green infrastructure, ranging from porous pavements, infiltration sewers to bioswales and ponds. The municipalities are also responsible for management of public space. The operation and management of public urban water systems is becoming increasingly complex, requiring an integrated approach and intensive collaboration. Therefore, municipalities must ensure they employ a team of water professionals with the right knowledge and skills to perform their tasks and achieve the desired water management and ambitions. Stichting RIONED develops tools and knowledge to support the urban water professionals. This abstract introduces three important tools. The ‘Branchestandaard’ is a comprehensive set of descriptions of the knowledge level urban water professionals should have to be able to perform their tasks. The ‘Kennisbank’ is an online urban water wiki that provides the knowledge that urban water professionals should possess. The Basic Course and its course materials, is a one year course on urban water that all urban water professionals without a preceding dedicated education at university or applied university level should follow. The course material is developed to cover the Branchestandaard set of descriptions, while using materials from the Kennisbank.

Geneva area, like other European regions, is facing an increasingly contrasting climate, alternating between prolonged droughts and intense rainfall events. These dynamics require a rapid transformation of public policies and professional practices related to rainwater management (RWM). However, this technical transition cannot succeed without a parallel evolution of social representations and perceptions, knowledge, and citizen skills. Rain is still often perceived as a constraint rather than a resource to be valued. Raising awareness among the population, particularly younger generations, therefore becomes a strategic lever to strengthen territorial resilience and promote the acceptance of nature-based solutions. It is within this context that Boîte à Pluie is being developed by the International Rainwater Harvesting Alliance (IRHA) to create a comprehensive ecosystem for knowledge transfer around rain: educational tools, skills development, a practitioner network, experimentation, and collective valorization. The innovative concept of Boîte à Pluie is based on the intersection of science, art, and pedagogy, aiming to transform the perception of rain and make learning experiential, sensory, and participatory.

The growing implementation of green infrastructure (GI) in municipalities is prompting a rethinking of stormwater management through governance and standardization. Although GI is widely recognized for its effectiveness in climate adaptation, these systems remain difficult to plan, design, and maintain due to heterogeneous professional practices and the absence of comprehensive technical standards. To harmonize internal practices, the City of Québec (Canada) commissioned a group of consultants to develop a decision-support guide for municipal teams involved in the planning, design, construction, and maintenance of GI. This guide results from a multidisciplinary approach involving civil and hydraulic engineers, urban planners, landscape architects, horticulture specialists, and operation teams, supported by a comparative review of more than fifty international manuals and reference documents. The document establishes a shared vocabulary, proposes typologies adapted to local conditions, standardizes five priority types of GI, and provides practical tools such as technical data sheets, standardized cross-sections, 3D design diagrams, design workflows, checklists, and maintenance criteria. By structuring, harmonizing, and facilitating the management of GI, the guide aims to accelerate the City’s climate adaptation strategies while improving long-term asset management. This communication presents the development process, key lessons learned from the co-construction of the guide, as well as limitations and recommendations to support an evolving and transferable implementation for other municipalities.