NEW TEXT  – Southeast Asian cities are challenged to find new ways to strengthen their resilience, inclusion and comprehensive water resource security. In view of urban development dynamics, climate changThe PolyUrbanWaters project aims to develop innovative and transferable instruments for water-sensitive, sustainable, and climate-resilient urban transformation in Southeast Asia, thereby supporting the localization of the Agenda 2030. Against the backdrop of rapid urbanization, increasing climate risks, and limited financial and institutional capacities, the project develops approaches to establish water as a cross-sectoral dimension of urban development. Its objective is to strengthen water-related public service provision and enhance the resilience of particularly small and medium-sized cities to the impacts of climate change.
Concepts such as “Water Sensitive Cities,” “Water Wise Cities,” and “Sponge Cities” are gaining increasing global relevance in sustainable urban development. However, their applicability to small and medium-sized cities in Southeast Asia has so far received limited attention. PolyUrbanWaters therefore combines water-sensitive urban planning, sustainable infrastructure development, climate adaptation, and integrated land and water resources management within a transdisciplinary framework. The project brings together partners from academia, civil society, local governments, ministries, and practice-oriented organizations from Cambodia, Germany, Indonesia, Lao PDR, Thailand, and Vietnam. A strategic partner for the regional anchoring and dissemination of the project results is the United Nations Economic and Social Commission for Asia and the Pacific.
The project focuses on the pilot cities of Kratie, Sleman, and Sam Neua, which are representative of Southeast Asian urban areas with populations of up to three million inhabitants. In Kratie, the conversion of peri-urban wetlands into residential areas has increased vulnerability to flooding. Sleman is characterized by rapid urbanization and growing water stress, while in Sam Neua changing land-use patterns have heightened the risk of severe flooding.
During the implementation phase (06/2025–05/2027), the Province and Municipality of Kratie in Cambodia will be supported in establishing a model for the sustainable management of urban wetlands as part of local climate adaptation strategies. In Sleman, participatory approaches to water-sensitive planning will be permanently integrated into cooperative structures involving planning agencies, local government, universities, and civil society organizations. In Lao PDR, the project supports the national urban development planning authority in integrating the instruments developed in Sam Neua into national guidelines for climate-resilient and water-sensitive urban development.
Through these activities, the project creates the conditions for the long-term institutional anchoring and regional dissemination of the developed instruments across Southeast Asia. Strategic capacity building at municipal, provincial, and national levels will ensure sustainable impact and facilitate the transfer of the project’s approaches to other cities in the region.
e and limited financial and institutional capacities, classical models of urban planning and the development of water infrastructure are reaching their limits. Gaps in the supply of water-related municipal services of general interest, vulnerabilities in extreme weather events and the overuse of natural resources are becoming increasingly apparent. There is a need for the integrated development of blue, green and grey infrastructures, which are polycentrically combined in a situation-appropriate and site-specific manner, especially with regard to their sustainable management. Therefore »water« should be anchored across sectors as a cross-cutting issue of urban development planning, especially in its multiple governance dimensions.

During the research and development phase (3/2021–5/2025), PolyUrbanWaters developed practice-oriented tools together with local stakeholders to systematically assess water-related challenges as well as social, economic, and environmental conditions. The objective was to establish a sound basis for water-sensitive and climate-resilient urban development in Southeast Asia.
Building on this diagnostic work, development scenarios were created to contrast “business-as-usual” approaches with alternative pathways for water-sensitive urban development. Through participatory processes, tailor-made strategies were designed that reflect local needs, priorities, and institutional capacities. These strategies were translated into concrete short-, medium-, and long-term actions for urban development planning. The instruments developed within the project support both integrated transformation processes and targeted applications in areas such as climate adaptation, water security, wastewater management, and green space planning.
The practical relevance of the PUW approaches has been confirmed by public authorities and local governments in Cambodia, Indonesia, and Lao PDR. Stakeholders particularly valued the exchange of practical experience and knowledge between Southeast Asia and Germany, as well as the transferability of international examples to local contexts. Experiences such as the causes of the Ahr Valley flood disaster in Germany and approaches to sponge city development in Hamburg and Bremen provided important impulses for local transformation strategies.
In Kratie, an urban wetland development plan for 2024–2035 was elaborated and recognized by the provincial government as a strategic contribution to sustainable urban development and climate adaptation. In Sleman, a multi-layered approach to water-sensitive community development was successfully piloted. In Sam Neua, the provincial government declared the proposed water-sensitive urban development options a key component of its vision for a “green, clean, and beautiful town“.