Below you'll find a list of all posts that have been categorized as “Big thinking”
For obvious reasons, sewage is unappealing and drinking it, completely unfathomable. Yet, while most of the world is still debating if you should even try to treat household sewage to drinkable standards, Windhoek has been tapping water from it for decades. In 2018, Namibians marked the 50th anniversary of the first direct potable (drinking-quality standard) reuse plant in the world, …
In San Francisco, all water is seen to be of value; as little as possible should be wasted. So much so that, in 2012, San Francisco became the first municipality in the country to adopt groundbreaking legislation to allow onsite non-potable water systems. Tapping from alternative water sources The Non-potable Water Ordinance allows for the use of alternative water sources …
Nowadays, cities seem to be the places to be for more and more people. For one, they can get access to better services, like water and sewage. In fact, the United Nations says that, between 1998 and 2008 alone, 1 052 million people accessed better drinking water in cities. A whopping 813 million accessed better sanitation, and the numbers are …
Every October, a small crowd gathers at the East Pier Quay at Cape Town to welcome the SA Agulhas II home. On-board is a small group of people that just spent a year at one of the most remote places on Earth with a constant human presence. It’s called Gough Island. The Subantarctic and Antarctic are extreme regions both in …
One of the most disrupting things we do when we build cities, is also one of the least obvious to those who walk along the streets. Our cities upset the water cycle. As a basic rule, a city is developed to prevent the natural flow of water from taking place. When people develop a place to live, plants are the …
While reports of cities running out of water worldwide are streaming in, some cities are learning to cope. Somewhat perplexing, these places often also suffer from drought, have to cope with more people and manage with old and creaky pipes. Yet sometimes, without having to immediately find more water, the people that live there don’t suffer for it. These places …
Embracing informal settlements and nature are part of the dramatic transformation that could be part of Durban’s development plans.
South Africa’s ‘looming’ water crisis crashed onto international front pages that day when Cape Town announced it might run out of water. However, many would say a major catastrophe has been hiding in clear sight for decades. We are running out of water. Digging into the details, it’s clear the crisis hasn’t been looming for a long time already. South …
Have you noticed that as we built ourselves closer to necessities like roads, we have detached ourselves from water? It’s not uncommon for cities that suffer from water shortages, to also suffer from floods. People might see rain fall outside their windows, but not have enough coming from their taps. Often, people are surrounded by water, but are unable to …
A trickling stream runs invitingly over a smooth, brown pebble bed, calling thirsty passers-by in its wake. But to those that can still hear it, the sound is a cruel reminder of better times gone by. It’s been a long time since the water was clean enough to drink. Not far away, there is a tap, connected to a row …
Drought can be catastrophic. For good reason, people refer to times of extreme drought as water crises. Farmers, industries and cities have been brought to their knees by it. But, have you ever asked yourself why does drought happen? Very simply put, drought happens, because it is part of how the planet works. If you live in a city, it’s …
I say Day Zero, you say? Cape Town. But Cape Town is not alone. For South Africans (like me), Day Zero is that day that Cape Town runs out of water. Recently, Capetonians faced each day with 50 liters of water, a crisis ignited by a drought like almost never before. Day Zero would have been triggered when dam levels …
