City Blueprint Quick Scan

Across the globe, climate change and urbanisation are determinative for water availability, economic development, and public health. As many cities are faced with drought or flooding, urban water management requires radical improvement. The City Blueprint comprises 25 indicators which can be used to assess urban water management.

How does the City Blueprint work?

The City Blueprint is a quick scan of the sustainability of the urban water chain based on 25 indicators divided across the seven categories of water quality, domestic waste, basic water services, waste water purification, infrastructure, climate resilience, and governance. The indicators are assessed on a scale of 0 to 10. The average of these 25 indicators is the Blue City Index (BCI). A single number can thus give an impression of the sustainability in the urban water chain. The methodology has been developed by the KWR Watercycle Research Institute.

What does the tool offer?

  1. A fast, interactive quick scan of the water cycle, requiring completion of a questionnaire;
  2. Access to expertise on the best practices in various cities;
  3. Participation in an international platform of cities. Fifty cities and regions in 30 countries have already been assessed using this method. A quick scan can be completed in a few days.

More information on the City Blueprint quick scan is provided in the E-brochure (pdf, 1 MB)