Urban Water Resources Assessment and Environmental Governance

Dear Colleagues,

Urbanization is a defining trend in the 21st century, with cities housing over 55% of the global population and projected to grow further in the coming decades. As urban areas expand, they face increasing challenges related to water resource management, infrastructure sustainability, and environmental governance. Urban water systems are critical to supporting economic growth, public health, and environmental well-being. However, these systems are under strain from climate change, aging infrastructure, and rapid population growth, leading to vulnerabilities in water supply, quality, and distribution. Addressing these challenges requires integrated and adaptive approaches that consider governance frameworks, resilient infrastructure, and innovative adaptation strategies.

The aim of this Special Issue is to explore innovative approaches and cutting-edge research on the intersection of urban water systems, environmental governance, and resilience planning. By addressing the scientific and practical aspects of urban water management, this issue aims to foster interdisciplinary dialogue and highlight solutions that ensure the sustainability of urban water resources in an era of global change.

In this Special Issue, original research articles and reviews are welcome. Research areas may include (but are not limited to) the following:

• Innovative governance framework for urban water systems;
• Socio-environmental trade-offs in urban water governance;
• The design and retrofitting of resilient urban water infrastructure;
• Addressing aging water infrastructure in rapidly growing cities;
• Smart water systems and digital innovation for water resource management;
• Case studies on successful implementation of sustainable urban water practices;
• Multi-scale and interdisciplinary approaches to urban water challenges;
• The role of data analytics and AI in urban water planning and decision making.

I look forward to receiving your contributions.

Dr. Sabina Rakhimbekova
Guest Editor

Manuscript Submission Information

Manuscripts should be submitted online at www.mdpi.com by registering and logging in to this website. Once you are registered, click here to go to the submission form. Manuscripts can be submitted until the deadline. All submissions that pass pre-check are peer-reviewed. Accepted papers will be published continuously in the journal (as soon as accepted) and will be listed together on the special issue website. Research articles, review articles as well as short communications are invited. For planned papers, a title and short abstract (about 100 words) can be sent to the Editorial Office for announcement on this website.

Submitted manuscripts should not have been published previously, nor be under consideration for publication elsewhere (except conference proceedings papers). All manuscripts are thoroughly refereed through a single-blind peer-review process. A guide for authors and other relevant information for submission of manuscripts is available on the Instructions for Authors page. Urban Science is an international peer-reviewed open access monthly journal published by MDPI.

Please visit the Instructions for Authors page before submitting a manuscript. The Article Processing Charge (APC) for publication in this open access journal is 1600 CHF (Swiss Francs). Submitted papers should be well formatted and use good English. Authors may use MDPI's English editing service prior to publication or during author revisions.

• data science in water governance
• climate change
• resilient water infrastructure
• integrated urban water management
• water scarcity
• flood management
• urban water quality
• big data for adaptation
• digital water solutions
• urban sustainability