Urban Water Systems

Introduction
It is indisputable that cities have been comprised essential place today throughout the world. By the industrial development particularly, the world is becoming increasingly urbanized. In 1900, only 160 million people, one tenth of the world’s population were living in the cities. By the 2000s, more than half of the world has been living in urban areas. As Boone (2006, p.36) states, “the future of the world is urban, and the problems that cities and their environments face must therefore be addressed”. While the urban population throughout the world grows, and the climate change is been lived, the effects of urbanization on water resources and rivers are increasing. The current problems with urban rivers in general are closely concerned with achieving eco-efficiency of urban water system and rivers.
Cities are playing a vital role in our societies. In difficult economic times, more than ever before, it is essential to re-invest in our cities’ infrastructure and environmental improvement. After being neglected for decades, since the second half of the 20th century, with more attention given to sustainability of resources, an awareness has grown of the vital role of urban rivers as a resource for humans and a lifeline for cities. As a result of the problems associated with urban rivers cannot be isolated from the water system; a new approach was developed for the last decades, one that is integrative, taking the problem of rivers within the water system. Aiming to create sustainable cities, there is a concentration on the development of many transformation projects including urban waters.
In this regard, the paper aims to better understand the challenges on urban rivers in the meaning of its integration to urban water system. To be able to clarify the challenges, the discussion extends into the old and emerging paradigms. The discussion is supported by major practices on rivers and comparative analysis on them conducted. Evaluating Porsuk River as a case, Turkey in accordance with the contemporary context, provides a framework on the dynamics of new approaches in Turkey as a final outcome. Before it, urbanization and water as a starting point is being addressed below.

Rivers have a long-standing relationship with urbanization since the ancient civilizations. During the various stages of cities in history, rivers have been standing the lifeblood of cities. While the growth is proceeding due to population increase and climate change, the effects of urbanization on rivers as in all kind of water resources are rising. With the past practices that polluting and covering them up after industrial development, they turned into detached and isolated places of cities. Since the second part of the last century, for healthy, ecological, physical, and economical reasons, urban rivers have started to be the subject of rehabilitation. In recent decades, there is a greater understanding of the vital role of them for urban sustainability.
Solving problems with urban rivers in general are closely concerned with achieving urban sustainability. This poster attempts to better understand how urban rivers are planned as an integrated significant part of sustainable cities both ecological and socio-spatial manner. In this framework, the poster discusses how urban river rehabilitation is expanded to involve urban water system in an urban ecology context, and to involve integration of urban river as a crucial public space and other urban assets in a sustainable urban pattern. For doing this, some of the best practices are evaluated comparatively, and a successful practice of a local government from Turkey as a case is discussed broadly. After summarizing best practices around the world, the poster focuses on the case of Porsuk River in city of Eskişehir in Turkey.
Key Words: Urban river rehabilitation, urban water system, urban ecology, sustainable city, Porsuk River, city of Eskişehir

Rivers have a long-standing relationship with urbanization since the ancient civilizations. During the various stages of cities in history, rivers have been standing the lifeblood of cities. While the growth is proceeding due to population increase and climate change, the effects of urbanization on rivers as in all kind of water resources are rising. With the past practices that polluting and covering them up after industrial development, they turned into detached and isolated places of cities. Since the second part of the last century, for healthy, ecological, physical, and economical reasons, urban rivers have started to be the subject of rehabilitation. In recent decades, there is a greater understanding of the vital role of them for urban sustainability.
Solving problems with urban rivers in general are closely concerned with achieving urban sustainability. This poster attempts to better understand how urban rivers are planned as an integrated significant part of sustainable cities both ecological and socio-spatial manner. In this framework, the poster discusses how urban river rehabilitation is expanded to involve urban water system in an urban ecology context, and to involve integration of urban river as a crucial public space and other urban assets in a sustainable urban pattern. For doing this, some of the best practices are evaluated comparatively, and a successful practice of a local government from Turkey as a case is discussed broadly. After summarizing best practices around the world, the poster focuses on the case of Porsuk River in city of Eskişehir in Turkey.
Key Words: Urban river rehabilitation, urban water system, urban ecology, sustainable city, Porsuk River, city of Eskişehir

The aim of this paper is to compare sorting and ranking methods for prioritization of rehabilitation interventions of sewers, taking into account risk, performance and cost. For that purpose multiple criteria decision-aid (MCDA) methods such as ELECTRE TRI for sorting and ELECTRE III for ranking are applied in a real case-study and the results obtained are compared. The case study is a small sanitary sewer system from a Portuguese utility located in the metropolitan area of Lisbon. The problem to investigate is the prioritization of the sewer candidates for rehabilitation. The decision maker (a panel group of specialists) has chosen five assessment measures: water level and maximum flow velocity (hydraulic performance indices), sewer importance and failure repair cost (collapse-related consequences of failure) and the risk of collapse. The results show that the outcomes from ELECTRE III are easier to understand than those from ELECTRE TRI method. Two different sets of weights were u...

The aim of this paper is to compare sorting and ranking methods for prioritization of rehabilitation interventions of sewers, taking into account risk, performance and cost. For that purpose multiple criteria decision-aid (MCDA) methods such as ELECTRE TRI for sorting and ELECTRE III for ranking are applied in a real case-study and the results obtained are compared. The case study is a small sanitary sewer system from a Portuguese utility located in the metropolitan area of Lisbon. The problem to investigate is the prioritization of the sewer candidates for rehabilitation. The decision maker (a panel group of specialists) has chosen five assessment measures: water level and maximum flow velocity (hydraulic performance indices), sewer importance and failure repair cost (collapse-related consequences of failure) and the risk of collapse. The results show that the outcomes from ELECTRE III are easier to understand than those from ELECTRE TRI method. Two different sets of weights were u...

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With regard to the climate change an increase of storm water events combined with longer droughts is prognosticated subsequently resulting in growing discharges of sewage into receiving water bodies with harmful consequences for surfaces water. And second, longer dry weather periods and an increase of the annual average air temperature will produce a shift of water balance and a decrease of available water resources, with particular hazard for drinking water supply. Particularly for areas with heavily stressed aquifers and for regions with a big proportion in drinking and tap water out of surface water (reservoirs and bank filtrate) the demand exists to work out and realize sustainable solutions for the adaptation of the regional water management system to the above-named climate trends.