Coimbra, Portugal, Sept. 14, 2026 (Lusa) - Portugal's Polytechnic University of Coimbra (UPCoimbra) is to coordinate a European project aimed at developing innovative solutions to make cities more resilient to climate change through more sustainable rainwater management.
Entitled "ResSuDSCita – Resilient and Sustainable Drainage Systems for Cities", the international initiative aims for «more sustainable stormwater management and the adaptation of urban areas to extreme weather events», UPCoimbra stated in a press release sent to the Lusa news agency.
«ResSuDSCita aims to assess and optimise the performance of Sustainable Urban Drainage Systems – green infrastructure that replicates the natural functioning of the water cycle, helping to reduce the risk of urban flooding, improve water quality, promote soil infiltration, increase biodiversity and mitigate the urban heat island effect in cities».
The project, which has recently been approved and is currently in the preparatory phase, will run for 36 months, involving partners from Portugal, Greece, Poland, Hungary and Sweden.
The municipal company Águas de Coimbra is also a partner in the project – whose total investment exceeds €1 million – and «will support the implementation and monitoring of the pilot solutions» that are developed.
Quoted in the press release, Joaquim Sousa, leader of the UP Coimbra team, noted that cities «are now facing increasingly complex challenges that jeopardise not only their sustainability, but also the quality of life and well-being of their inhabitants».
«Climate change is increasing the frequency and intensity of extreme weather events, placing new pressures on water management in urban areas. At the same time, the growing urbanisation of urban spaces is contributing to the worsening of the urban heat island effect, whilst the need to find solutions for the recovery of industrial waste constitutes an increasingly significant environmental and economic challenge,» emphasised the researcher.
Sousa also highlighted that the European project goes beyond the development of technological solutions and aims to demonstrate that it is possible to «rethink the way cities are planned and built, bringing together water management, adaptation to climate change, waste recovery and the enhancement of more resilient urban spaces».
«It is this integrated approach that we consider essential for building cities that are more sustainable, resilient and prepared for the challenges of the future,» he noted.
The UPCoimbra team also includes researchers Teresa Fragoso, Luís Santos, Alexandra Ribeiro, Silvino Capitão, António Correia, Fernando Moita, Verónica Oliveira, Carla Rodrigues, Sara Proença and Susana Gonçalves, representing a multidisciplinary approach ranging from urban hydraulics to artificial intelligence, including geotechnics, the environment and geographic information systems, amongst other areas.
«Over the three-year project period, the partners will characterise existing solutions, install monitoring systems in different cities, collect and analyse environmental data, validate new materials for sustainable drainage infrastructure, and develop decision-support tools.
The ultimate aim is to produce technical and policy recommendations that will facilitate the adoption of these solutions by cities across Europe,» stated UPCoimbra.
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