Dynamic Adaptation for eNabling City Evolution for Water (DAnCE 4 Water)
Funding: Funding from the European Unions's Seventh Programme for Research
Project partners: Department of Civil Engineering (Monash University), School of Geography and Environmental Science (Monash University), Melbourne Water
Project staff: Robert SITZENFREI, Christian URICH, Manfred KLEIDORFER, Wolfgang RAUCH
Project duration: 2007 – 2013
Summary:
With the challenges posed by climate change, urban water management has reached a point where adaptation is vital for a sustainable future. The European FP7 Project entails a 10 mil Euro budget and 35 partners (both from industry and the tertiary sector) in a four-year research program addressing the strategies that will aid water systems around the world in achieving adaptive resilience to the ever-changing environment.
The project features a broad scope of the water system in the institutional, practical and technological contexts, summarised in the project plan as achievable through seven different Work Areas.
As part of project Deliverable 6.2 of the European Framework 7 project "PREPARED enabling Change", efforts by Monash University and Innsbruck University are required to produce a scenario-based urban water tool for assessing the dynamics of urban infrastructure in response to social and environmental drivers of change on the water system: DAnCE 4 Water
The urban water software tool, named DAnCE 4 Water (Dynamic Adaptation for eNabling City Evolution for Water),comprises three modules:
- a city and water systems generatormodule
- a transitions module
- a performance assessment module
The city & water systems module generates possible layouts of urban areas together with water systems that meet given criteria. The transition module simulates uptake of novel technologies (such as water recycling and stormwater harvesting) depending on social-economical drivers. The performance module calculates the key performance indicators (for e.g. water security, pollution, stream health, amenity, microclimate, etc) of output scenarios.
At present, DanCE 4 Water will run two major simulations: Melbourne 2030 and Melbourne as an adaptive water sensitive city. Both case studies will be compared with each other and with the current city to identify important aspects that should be implemented if the ideal vision is to be met. During these simulations, further opportunity to improve upon the tool’s design will be available.
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