Water!?

Water from above, masses of water that flood valleys and sweep away livelihoods. It also gushed out of the gully in front of my house during the last heavy rainfall and blocked the exit. 😳 Of course, this is not comparable to the problems we have had in southern Germany and other parts of Europe in recent weeks. Both the lives and livelihoods of private individuals and the existence of companies are at risk, or at the very least there has been damage, business interruption and, as a result, a significant loss of profits. 
This raises a number of questions, some of which I explore in my two blog articles: 
> High flooding damage in southern Germany also for companies: Are they helplessly at the mercy of these masses of water or what can they do?
> The state and local authorities must protect citizens and businesses from the effects of climate change, right?

And on the other hand, water can create wonderful living and recreational spaces. I myself had the honour of providing technical support during the creation of the GreenQuays in Breda in the Netherlands. The city’s motto is that you have to prioritise. In the centre of Breda, instead of allowing cars to drive on wide roads, it has chosen to bring the river back to light and design its quay walls and edges in an innovative and nature-inclusive way. This has been a very beautiful and inspiring project for me and I hope others will adopt the approach.

this question as part of my analysis work for a new multi-level partnership "Water-Sensitive City" within the framework of the EU's Urban Agenda 🇪🇺. Water should no longer be seen as a problem, but as a resource and an opportunity. However, this requires a different kind of management and the involvement of many sectors, stakeholders and governance levels. The partnership starting in autumn will focus on how this cooperation from the local to the European level can take place. 
Interested in being part of it? There will be a call for applications of local authorities as well as regional, national and EU stakeholders on 28 August. I would be delighted to meet you there again.