Presented at the 12th meeting of the OECD Water Governance Initiative, on 20 - 21 June, 2019 in Berlin, Germany

1. Governance for Water Sensitive
Urban Development
Berlin, 21 June 2019
Dr. Jens Libbe
German Institute of Urban Affairs
12th Meeting of the OECD Water Governance Initiative,
Session Water Governance in Germany

2. 2 Dr. Jens Libbe, 12th Meeting of the OECD Water Governance Initiative, Session Water Governance in Germany
Thesis 1
Water Sensitive Urban Development currently is not in
the focus of the municipal agenda
Difu mayors barometer:
Next years topics

3. 3 Dr. Jens Libbe, 12th Meeting of the OECD Water Governance Initiative, Session Water Governance in Germany
Global Responsibility as Driving Force
https://www.lkz.de/lokales/stadt-ludwigsburg_artikel,-appell-an-verantwortung-
eines-jeden-_arid,536479.html

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Dr. Jens Libbe, 12th Meeting of the OECD Water Governance Initiative, Session Water Governance in Germany
Climate Change forces us to think about adapted
infrastructure
 More heavy rainfall
 Floods
 High Temperatures
 More tropical nights
 Longer dry periods
 Water Shortage in some Regions
 etc.
Questions:
 How to guaranty live quality in cities?
 How to bring climate adaption into
agreement with growing cities?
© kichigin19, Fotolia.com
Dreiseitl

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Dr. Jens Libbe, 12th Meeting of the OECD Water Governance Initiative, Session Water Governance in Germany
Fields of action
Water Sensitive Urban Development is connected with
numerous fields of action
 Climate Protection: climate neutrality, CO2-Footprint
 Climate Change and Climate Adaption: climate Resilience
 Energy Transition: energy saving, energy efficiency renewable
energies
 Scarcity of non renewable recourses: lightness of resources
 Biological Diversity: protecting biodiversity and restoring of
ecosystems
 Climate and Environmental Justice: to have live quality of all people
in focus
 Services of General Interest and sound living conditions: efficient,
sufficient and cross-linked

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Dr. Jens Libbe, 12th Meeting of the OECD Water Governance Initiative, Session Water Governance in Germany
Fields of action
 Land Consumption and Soil Protection: Minimizing of usage of land
for settlement and mobility
 Finance and Investment: sustainable and inter-generation fairness
 Administration and Innovation: capacity building for transition and
management of cross-sectoral tasks
 Participative Governance: structured cooperation of politic,
administration, civil society, (public and private) economy and research
 …
Source: Difu-Berichte 1/2018
Water Sensible Urban Development is connected with
numerous fields of action

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Dr. Jens Libbe, 12th Meeting of the OECD Water Governance Initiative, Session Water Governance in Germany
Thesis 2
Need for conceptual guiding principles about the
future of water infrastructures
 Infrastructures always are connected with guiding principles.
 Hygiene-Paradigm was a important position of points for
wastewater technology in the 19. century.
 Objectives of water management and water infrastructure to be
further developed
 Providing Water in the right place at the right time and with the
needed quality and quantity.
 Wastewater treatment in a way so that the water can be reused
or discharged in nature.
 Protecting settlements against floodwater.
 Protecting water resources in quality and quantity

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Dr. Jens Libbe, 12th Meeting of the OECD Water Governance Initiative, Session Water Governance in Germany
 Federal state: National Water Dialogue (BMU 2018-2020)
 Länder: some processes to develop guiding principles (Baden-
Württemberg 2007, Brandenburg 2015, Hessen/Rhein-Main 2016)
 motivation: smallness of organisation, profitableness, resource
management, consumer orientation, water prices.
 Process is more important then the guiding principle: dialogue,
awareness of challenges, initiation of a water governance)
 Municipalities: Dialogue processes about sustainable water infrastructure in
Berlin and Norderstedt (netWORKS 4)
 Associations: coordinating group for water sensitive city of the future (DWA)
Younger Guiding Principle Initiatives
Quelle: Ministerium für Ländliche Entwicklung, Umwelt
und Landwirtschaft des Landes Brandenburg
 Emphasis of importance of innovative water infrastructures for urban
and regional development

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Dr. Jens Libbe, 12th Meeting of the OECD Water Governance Initiative, Session Water Governance in Germany
Thesis 3
Conceptual Approach and Urban Dialog opens
windows of opportunity
Aims and
Interests
Context and
Resources
City
Transformation Area
FeasibilityAcceptance

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Dr. Jens Libbe, 12th Meeting of the OECD Water Governance Initiative, Session Water Governance in Germany
Complex Town Planning vs. Innovation
Process

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Dr. Jens Libbe, 12th Meeting of the OECD Water Governance Initiative, Session Water Governance in Germany
 Implementation of new system solutions as part of departmental
research foundation (Ressortforschung)
 Improving new system solution in urban districts
 Testing in housing and town construction
 Check of necessary clarifications, e.g. in building law or price system
 Addressing of infrastructure operators and real estate by support programmes
 Awarding of pilot projects and exchange of experiences
 Using formal and informal possibilities of integrated urban and
infrastructure planning
 Integration in Urban Restructuring/new development: formal but productive
 Integration in climate protection concepts, energy concepts etc.
 Urban development measures and contracts
 Budget and schedule space of time
 networking and sensitization
 approach, collection of ideas, creation common visions
Local Implementation Processes: Need on appropriate
incentive systems for improving new system solutions

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Dr. Jens Libbe, 12th Meeting of the OECD Water Governance Initiative, Session Water Governance in Germany
 Financing of Transformation as a cross-sectoral topic.
 Strategic Investment Planning in Municipalities.
 Long-term Planning in public water units with estimated trend of prices.
 Communication of Sustainability Goals to become degrees of freedom
for action.
 Transparent Strategies for restructuring and transformation.
 Accentuate the economic dimension of transformation.
 Numbering the investment needs is both: problem of data and
problem of (political) communication.
Thesis 4
Adaption and Transformation of physical infrastructure
has to be communicated as a central task for the City of
Future

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Dr. Jens Libbe, 12th Meeting of the OECD Water Governance Initiative, Session Water Governance in Germany
Contact
Dr. Jens Libbe
German Institute of Urban Affairs (Difu)
Head of Department for Infrastructure, Economy and Finance
Zimmerstrasse 13-15
D-10969 Berlin
Tel. 0049 30/39001-115
libbe@difu.de