There are currently 2.1 billion people living in cities across Asia Pacific — home to 17 of the world’s 28 megacities — with that figure expected to grow by an additional billion people by 2040, nearly two-thirds of the region's population.
The pressure on urban water resources
Set to continue, this increasing urbanization is putting pressure on cities’ water resources. For example, overpopulation, informal settlements, point-source pollution and other causes have already resulted in the waters of many city lakes and rivers becoming derelict, with a lack of funding and integrated solutions for water infrastructure impacting the resilience of urban environments.
The potential for growth
At the same time, cities with neglected and polluted waterfronts miss out on important growth opportunities. Successful waterfront cities attract both people and money. They create energy and character, and bring a certain vibrancy to the surrounding communities while contributing to their environmental and economic resilience. With amenities such as beaches, beautiful harbors, boardwalks and green spaces, they are attractive places to live, work and visit.
Holistic restoration
For cities working to restore their waterfront to seize these opportunities for growth, a holistic approach is key. Restoration that employs an integrated development strategy and alignment of investment for water-related infrastructure can help to reconnect people with water. It can revitalize and enhance their quality of living, while ensuring that an area’s cultural heritage is maintained and even celebrated.
To fully realize the socio-economic benefits of these kind of projects, AECOM has developed a seven-tier planning process, focusing on connecting the waterway with communities, reinforcing cultural values and contributing to economic development. Our process comprises: an understanding and management of the watershed hydrology and channel hydraulics; stabilizing flow regimes; restoring geomorphology; improving water quality; enhancing ecological structure and function; transforming the landscape and, finally, supporting the local culture.
Here are two projects — Kuala Lumpur’s River of Life and the Suzhou Jinji Lake in China, each of which utilize open spaces for different functions to support a wide range of users — where we’ve collaborated with governments and communities using our seven-tier approach to revitalize city waterfronts and resources, strengthen resilience and improve quality of life:
The River of Life, Kuala Lumpur
As part of Kuala Lumpur’s ambitions to become a more efficient and livable city, the River of Life (ROL) project aimed to transform the Klang and Gombak Rivers, which meet at a confluence in central Kuala Lumpur, into a vibrant waterfront destination with high economic value, increased pedestrian movements, eased traffic congestion as well as landscaping to restore the environment.
Our proposed plan for this regeneration scheme maximized the social and economic potential of the 10.7-kilometer river by linking ecology, landscapes and waterscapes together in ways that would bring people together to meaningfully connect with the river. Our specialists served as a bridge between public and private sector stakeholders to bring the project to fruition, collaborating with the local community from the very start to ensure unique, functional spaces inspired by the city’s history.
Given that poor water quality and dilapidated public infrastructure have a negative effect on property value, the master plan also ensured that, when restoration works were completed, the subsequent value could be captured by multiple parties.
As a result, the project delivered a space within Kuala Lumpur where both its people and a new heritage can flourish, creating beautiful landscapes, generating value through land development across sectors and, crucially, improving water quality.
Jinji Lake, China
Jinji Lake is the centrepiece of the Singapore-China Industrial Development in Suzhou, China. The project — 20 years ongoing — has worked to naturally improve the lake’s water quality, without interfering with existing habitats.
