Article Dans Une Revue Water Science and Technology Année : 2025

Flooded with potential: urban drainage science as seen by early-career researchers

1 TU Delft - Delft University of Technology
2 NTNU - Norwegian University of Science and Technology = Norges Teknisk-Naturvitenskapelige Universitet = Norjan teknis-luonnontieteellinen yliopisto
3 LUT - Luleå University of Technology = Luleå Tekniska Universitet
4 LEESU - Laboratoire Eau Environnement et Systèmes Urbains
5 QUT - Queensland University of Technology [Brisbane]
6 Monash University [Melbourne]
7 EAWAG - Swiss Federal Institute of Aquatic Science and Technology [Dübendorf]
8 ETH Zürich - Eidgenössische Technische Hochschule - Swiss Federal Institute of Technology [Zürich]
9 UniCa - Università degli Studi di Cagliari = University of Cagliari = Université de Cagliari
10 UNISA - Università degli Studi di Salerno = University of Salerno
11 Bologna University - School of Engineering and Architecture
12 LEHNA IAPHY - LEHNA - Laboratoire d'Ecologie des Hydrosystèmes Naturels et Anthropisés [équipe IAPHY]
13 LEHNA - Laboratoire d'Ecologie des Hydrosystèmes Naturels et Anthropisés
14 UNISS - Università degli Studi di Sassari = University of Sassari
15 DEEP - Déchets Eaux Environnement Pollutions
16 McGill University = Université McGill [Montréal, Canada]
17 Polito - Politecnico di Torino = Polytechnic of Turin
18 CITEEC - Centro de Innovación Tecnolóxica en Edificación e Enxeñaría Civil
19 Leopold Franzens Universität Innsbruck - University of Innsbruck
20 RISE Research Institutes of Sweden
21 Universidad Tecnológica de Bolívar
22 REALTEK - Faculty of Science and Technology
23 NC State - North Carolina State University [Raleigh]
24 NYU Tandon School of Engineering
E M H Abdalla
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Résumé

This opinion paper reflects on the current challenges facing urban drainage systems (UDS) research, along with solutions for fostering sustainable development. Over the course of a year-long project involving 92 participants aged 24–38, including PhD candidates, post-doctoral researchers, and early-career academics, we identified critical challenges and opportunities for the sustainable development of UDS. Our exploration highlights four key challenges: limited public visibility leading to resource constraints, insufficient collaboration across subfields, issues with data scarcity and data sharing, and geographical specificities. We emphasise the importance of raising public and political awareness regarding UDS's vital role in climate adaptation and urban resilience, advocating for blue-green infrastructure and open data practices. Additionally, we address systemic academic barriers that hinder innovative research. We call for a shift away from metrics that prioritise quantity over quality. We recommend establishing stable career pathways that empower early-career researchers. This paper aims to catalyse a broader community dialogue about the future of UDS research, uniting voices from various career stages. By presenting actionable recommendations, we aim to inspire fundamental changes in research conduct, evaluation, and sustainability, ensuring the field of UDS is prepared to meet pressing urban water management challenges worldwide.

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Dates et versions

hal-05037122 , version 1 (16-04-2025)

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J A van der Werf, V. Pons, Kelsey Smyth, B. Shi, P. Lechevallier, et al.. Flooded with potential: urban drainage science as seen by early-career researchers. Water Science and Technology, 2025, 91 (7), pp.861-875. ⟨10.2166/wst.2025.045⟩. ⟨hal-05037122⟩
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