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Q. You have spoken about a new “paradigm” in the water industry. Can you describe what you mean by that?
A. Sure, many in the industry believe that in spite of differences in local conditions and situations, water is clearly central to healthy and sustainable natural and urban ecosystems. And while we have known for many years that adequate water and sanitation are essential for human health and survival, we are appreciating water’s importance to the health of the environment as a whole – beyond our needs as individuals. Our understanding of the sustainability of cities as complex ecosystems that are dependent on natural systems, challenges our thinking regarding the development of both natural and urban environments, as well as the protection of the people, plants, and wildlife that live within them.
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Q. How is this changing the world’s view of water?
A. There is a growing belief that urban water infrastructure should be doing something very different from what it has done in the past. The traditional piped systems approach used in most cities hasn’t changed much since Roman times – linear conveyance that imports water and exports sewage and drainage. Today, the demands of rapid urbanization and depleted and degraded water supplies drive us to look for closed-loop systems where used water is recycled, rainwater is harvested, peak stormwater flows slowed down, and discharges of pollutants to receiving waters from both pipes and land use are significantly reduced or eliminated entirely.
Broadly stated, urban watersheds are being re-envisioned to restore hydrological and ecological functions, provide for the water needs of the community, and maintain the health of people and habitat. These system-level changes are emerging in various forms throughout the world. They represent a fundamentally new model or paradigm for most cities.
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Q. Are there new technologies that are enabling this change?
A. In fact, advances are occurring on many fronts. Some of the most noteworthy are taking place in treatment processes that employ membranes and nanotechnologies in lower-cost, more energy-efficient ways. We are also seeing improvements in network management that promise to increase the performance and security of our vast water distribution and collection systems.
At the same time, green infrastructure that is based on landscape design and the restoration of ecological functions in urban spaces reflects a counter-point to the advanced hardware of water treatment. These small-scale, decentralized improvements rely on the reduction of impervious surfaces, increased infiltration, and storage-oriented drainage with less reliance on underground pipes and pumps. Together, the integration of functional landscape, flexible treatment technologies, and smarter network management allow for an almost infinite combination of cost-effective approaches to restoring the integrity of urban watersheds.
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Q. How do we leverage these advances?
A. Because this is such a significant transformation of our historical objectives, we need to open a dialogue within the water industry and with all of the other interests who influence urban process – those who shape the growth and development of our cities and communities. Our goals are generally aligned. That is creating future cities that achieve all of their complex functions while being less dependent on external resources, energy, and remote locations to dispose of waste – cities with healthier metabolisms, stronger, more resilient, and more self-sufficient in the world. That requires us to consciously think about how the new technologies we are developing can be put to use in brand new ways.
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Q. What keeps you inspired?
A. I’m happy to be in this profession at a time when the opportunity for creativity and vision can have such a significant impact on the future. We recently marked the occasion of over half the world’s population living in cities. Of course, in the United States over 80 percent of our population is already living in urban areas. That possesses a significant challenge for all of us. Because as urbanization continues, and the world heads towards 80 percent of our global population in cities, we all must reduce the resource consumption and waste emissions that we have grown accustomed to in developed economies – a smaller foot print all around. That said, we are already falling short of providing basic water and sanitation services to many residents of today’s mega-cities. It’s a huge challenge.
So, what keeps me inspired? It’s clear to me that if we fundamentally change our planning and design objectives in recognition of this new reality, together we will invent the practices and infrastructure that enable us to live comfortably within our planetary means. What could be more exciting or inspirational than pursuing those goals?
Paul R. Brown, AICP, executive vice president - global market development and chief marketing officer, is member of the firm’s executive leadership team. He is responsible for strategy and business development for CDM Smith clients worldwide, and he also serves as the technical director of CDM Smith’s Neysadurai Centre for Integrated Water Resources and Urban Planning in Singapore. He has more than 37 years experience in developing integrated project plans for managing and financing public utilities and environmental facilities.
