Water management is traditionally defined as a human-centred process of planning, operation, and use of water systems. The process is intrinsically linked to the concept of sustainable development by the complex interactions between natural ecosystems and urban infrastructure. In cities, the biggest challenge for future water planning is the impact of housing development on water sustainability.

With a global trend of rapidly increasing housing demand, the need for integrated planning becomes particularly relevant to understand the impacts of urban growth on land surface processes, water infrastructure operation and water quality. To holistically address this challenge, the concept of water neutrality is proposed, which promotes developments designed to offset adverse impacts on water resources, water quality and flood risk by promoting solutions such as water efficiency and green infrastructure.

In this webinar, Dr Ana Mijic will discuss how integrated models developed as part of her Water Systems Integration research group can be used to evaluate impacts on new developments to London’s water security. The results will discuss how multiple options, including interventions within the remit of water companies, local authorities, developers but also citizens should be combined to ensure that our urban quality of life can be sustained, together with minimising our impacts on the water environment. 

Our speaker

Dr Ana Mijic is a Reader in Water Systems Integration and Director of the Centre for Systems Engineering and Innovation (CSEI). She is leading the development of novel systems tools focused on quantifying the interaction between water systems and sustainable development. The work has the aim to inform regulatory bodies and the water industry if and how we can support economic growth whilst ensuring sustainable water use and flood and water quality management under future uncertainties. Through NERC Innovation Fellowship funding, she worked with the UK Environment Agency to apply systems thinking to developing principles of systems water management at a catchment scale. 

Currently, Ana is leading VENTURA, an EPSRC-funded project that brings together interdisciplinary expertise across fields of water management, systems engineering, computer and geoscience, digital technology, innovation, and social science. The aim of the research is to co-create a state-of-the-art web-based, end-user led digital service prototype in a form of a Virtual Decision Room (VDR). Ana is also a Systems Analysis Lead for the CAMELLIA impact programme, where her work is focused on the development of systems water management models. These models can represent the integrated water infrastructure planning system, and how grey and Blue-Green infrastructure solutions can be integrated with land use planning and housing design. Ana is also a member of the EWRE Hydrology group that was awarded the 2019 Imperial President’s Award for Excellence in Research for Outstanding Research Team.