We are a partnership of local authorities, agencies, and companies working together to develop and test approaches to the retrofitting of SUDS (sustainable urban drainage) into existing urban areas. Other pages on this site explain more about why and how we intend to do this, so take some time to explore.
You’ll find case studies of our demonstration sites, in 5 communities spanning France, Belgium, Netherlands and the UK. As the project progresses, we will feature our guidance developed from these practical experiences.
An important aim of our project is to develop a network of municipalities, agencies and companies to stimulate innovation in the retrofitting of SUDs. To this end we have held two meetings – in Mechelen in Belgium and Condette, in Boulogne-sur-Mer district in France. In both cases the events have been sold out, which demonstrates the high level of interest in this topic.
We have been happy to welcome partners from related Interreg projects SPONGE2020 and SCAPE, and we hope to maintain this collaboration as our respective projects progress. Whilst each of the projects tackle different themes, there is important common interests in communication and influencing public and stakeholder opinion and public policy in relation to adaptation to climate change – working together we hope to have a greater impact.
Much of the project activity is about understanding the lessons learned from our demonstration activities. In Mechelen we learned of the importance of integrating SUDs into urban design, rather than seeing drainage as a separate activity. In France, we challenged our network participants to consider the added benefits of SUDs – for amenity, public health, the economy, and more – in addition to water management benefits.