<\/p>\n\n\n\n The SWITCH project, which began in February 2006 and lasted for 63 months, challenged existing paradigms by finding and promoting more sustainable alternatives to conventional means of managing urban water. SWITCH project team also carried out action-oriented research in cities that reflected the expressed needs of residents. Switching to sustainable urban water management Background Project: SWITCH Cities around the world are facing a myriad of pressures, including rapid urbanisation and urban sprawl. As a result, authorities are finding it increasingly difficult to manage scarce water resources, deliver water and sanitation services, and dispose of wastewater. At the same time, authorities must do their […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"featured_media":5166,"parent":0,"template":"","geographic_location":[118,106,110,96,119,120,114,111,121,115,107,122,123,124,125,112,113,130,117,131,108,116,132,133],"collaboration_opportunities":[97,105,98,99,100,101,102],"technologies":[],"acf":[],"yoast_head":"\n
Cities around the world are facing a myriad of pressures, including rapid urbanisation and urban sprawl. As a result, authorities are finding it increasingly difficult to manage scarce water resources, deliver water and sanitation services, and dispose of wastewater. At the same time, authorities must do their utmost to minimise the negative impact of such developments on the environment and urban populations.<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n![\"\"](\"https:\/\/innovationisrael.org.il\/en\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/3\/2023\/05\/SWITCH.jpg\")
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With UNESCO-IHE Institute for Water Education (UNESCO-IHE) as lead partner, SWITCH comprised a consortium of 33 organisations working in 15 European and developing cities across the globe.
\u201cThe consortium worked hard to share knowledge and research on a wide range of tested scientific, technological and socio-economic solutions to urban water management,\u201d said SWITCH project representative Peter van der Steen. \u201cSuch solutions are being adopted globally to replace the many different ad-hoc approaches which currently exist and to create sustainable urban water management in the \u201cCity of the Future\u201d.
\u201cLearning Alliances\u201d which brought key stakeholders together to create win-win solutions across the water chain, were according to van der Steen, \u201ca core feature of SWITCH\u201d. Other important themes included \u201cAction Research\u201d which saw users addressing problems through innovation; \u201cMultiple Learning\u201d which enabled cities to learn from each other\u2019s experiences and a \u201cMultiple Level Approach\u201d that considered the urban water system at various levels. Finally, renowned experts were heavily involved in the project, bringing essential scientific, technological and financial resources to the programme.
On 18th September 2012, the SWITCH consortium was honoured with the International Water Association’s (IWA) Sustainability Award 2012 for \u201cinnovation in the practical realisation of sustainable urban water management\u201d at a ceremony in Busan, Korea. According to the IWA, the impressive achievement of the SWITCH project was its demand-led learning Alliances: the notion that what the people want is at the cutting edge of what gets to be done to achieve water-sensitive cities.
In addition to winning awards, SWITCH has influenced water policy, deployed a comprehensive training package in use by Local Governments for Sustainability (ICLEI) and UNESCO-IHE, and produced multiple manuals, guidelines and analysis tools.
With nearly \u20ac15 million of funding under the Sixth Research Framework Programme (FP6), the SWITCH approach of integrating water management at the city level, through learning alliances, research, demonstrations and training, has been taken up by the World Bank and others.
This innovation was made possible by Israel\u2019s continued participation in the official Horizon 2020 fund, managed in Israel by ISERD part of The Israel Innovation Authority (Formerly the Office of the Chief Scientist and MATIMOP). The initiative has taken Israeli R&D to the next level with the help of ground-breaking collaboration between scientists in Israel and Europe, as well as essential funding and support.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Project details<\/strong>
Project acronym:<\/strong> SWITCH
Participants:<\/strong> The Netherlands (Coordinator), United Kingdom, Germany, Greece, Israel, Poland, Sri Lanka, Colombia, Peru, Egypt, Spain, Ghana, China, Brazil, Switzerland, West Bank and Gaza Strip
FP6 Project N\u00b0<\/strong> 18530
Total costs:<\/strong> \u20ac21 282 790
EU contribution:<\/strong> \u20ac14 749 996
Duration: <\/strong>February 2006 – April 2011<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"