Water and Human Settlements of the Future

Dear Colleagues,

Cities worldwide are exposed to major interconnected challenges such as urbanization, population growth, climate change, and the depletion of natural resources. Water is a central component of these present and future challenges, and is fundamental for sustainable urban development. A growing number of cities are facing challenges in managing their water resources and services due to water scarcity and an increase in water demand; moreover, the growing frequency and magnitude of climate-induced water hazards such as flood and droughts is threatening urban livelihoods, populations, infrastructures, and ecosystems. The aforementioned water issues are even more crucial in cities of developing countries, and particularly for informal settlements and peri-urban areas.

The Special Issue aims at collecting original research and literature review articles on the state of the art and recent theoretical advances on water research, policy, and practice in cities worldwide, in relation to major global challenges and responses/solutions to these challenges. We particularly welcome articles related to integrated urban water management, water and urban metabolism, water-sensitive cities and sponge cities, urban biodiversity and nature-based solutions for climate and health emergency, and water circular economy, including articles with specific focus on policies, strategies, actions, and appropriate technologies. Connections between traditional ecological knowledge and ancestral hydro-technologies with nature-based solutions, and articles with a focus on developing context and informal settlements are also very welcome.

This Special Issue is grounded in the knowledge and research activities developed in the frame of the VIII Phase (2014–2021) of the Intergovernmental Hydrological Programme (IHP) of UNESCO, specifically on the thematic area of water and human settlements of the future. Thereby, the aim of this Special Issue is to further contribute to supporting evidence-based policy makings through fostering scientific advances to meet today’s global urban water challenges.

Dr. Jordi Morato Farreras
Prof. Nicola Tollin
Dr. Alexandros Makarigakis
Guest Editors

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 250 words) can be sent to the Editorial Office for assessment.

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. Water is an international peer-reviewed open access semimonthly 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 2600 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.