Waterintegrated

Waterintegrated is an adjective used to describe design and management approaches that treat water as a unifying element across urban, architectural, and landscape systems. It encompasses planning, infrastructure, and operations that integrate water supply, stormwater management, wastewater, and ecosystem services to improve resilience, efficiency, and livability.

The term is relatively new in sustainability discourse and is not tied to a single organization. It overlaps with integrated water resources management and water-sensitive urban design, but emphasizes an integrative framework that aligns multiple water streams, uses, and stakeholders within a single strategy.

Core principles include system thinking, watershed-scale planning, and the use of green and blue infrastructure such as rain gardens, bioswales, permeable pavements, and constructed wetlands. Waterintegrated approaches also favor rainwater harvesting, greywater reuse, passive cooling, and adaptive management, with governance and data sharing across disciplines essential for success.

Applications span city planning, building and campus design, and landscape projects where water efficiency and resilience are priorities. Examples range from district-scale water reuse schemes and green roofs to dual-plumbed buildings and urban bioswale networks that integrate stormwater with public spaces.

Benefits include reduced flood risk, improved water security, lower energy and treatment costs, enhanced biodiversity, and richer urban experience. Potential challenges involve higher upfront costs, longer planning timelines, maintenance obligations, regulatory hurdles, and the need for cross-sector collaboration and data integration.

See also: integrated water resources management, water-sensitive urban design, green infrastructure, blue-green infrastructure, water efficiency.