Interfaces between production of urban space and the water shortage risk

ABSTRACT

The continuous growth of urban areas is a reality experienced globally. However, this growth is sometimes not supported by a suitable urban land-use planning, in particular, there is a lack between infrastructure services (e.g. water supply systems) planning and urban planning. Among other consequences, these disconnections, coupled with population growth, exacerbate the risk of water shortage in these urban areas. This article analyzes the city of Campina Grande, Northeast Brazil, and identifies the interfaces between the so-called urban space production process and the consequent risk of water shortage. The analysis focuses on the Catolé district, which is a representative case of accelerated urbanization in the last three decades, due to the actions of different urban built-up stakeholders. A spatial multicriteria analysis is used to determine the water shortage risk, making a comparative analysis between 2000 and 2010. The results point out to the importance of increasing an in-depth discussion about the built-up process of cities. Besides, the study takes into account technical criteria, plus the understanding of how different interests groups involved in the built-up process submits a city to a high or low water shortage risk.

Keywords:
water supply systems; urban water security; urban densification