Canada faces an estimated cost of $88 billion water and wastewater infrastructure deficit and this estimate is expected to grow under a “business as usual” approach. As record infrastructure costs grow, the need for innovative solutions alongside innovative funding mechanisms, are increasingly in demand. To facilitate change, the Blue Economy Initiative has released a visionary report, Blue City: The Water-Sustainable City of the Near Future. 

“We wanted Blue City to be an accessible report, grounded in rigorous research and analysis but presented in the style of a magazine.  We didn’t want to create a ‘how-to’ guide.  Instead, this is intended to stimulate a discussion about the complexities of urban water management.  More importantly, though, we offer a vision of what is possible in the near future,” explains Kirk Stinchcombe, Sustainability Specialist and lead author.

“We set out to write a report that will help practitioners and decision makers build a business case for more sustainable, integrated water management.  The city we describe, although fictitious, is largely an amalgamation of real cities. These innovations are actually occurring in places across the country and around the world.  This place is within reach of Canadian municipalities now,” continues Louise Brennan, Sustainability Specialist and report co-author.

To Learn More:

To download a copy of the report, click on Blue City: The Water-Sustainable City of the Near Future.

To read a synopsis of the report posted on the Water-Centric Planning community-of-interest, click on BLUE CITY: New Report Highlights Innovative Water Solutions for Municipalities and Regions across Canada.