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This is the third installment of the popular ranking of cities in which the development of metropolises, large and medium-sized cities in Poland is assessed in terms of the efficiency of water resources management. The results of the „Water City INDEX 2021. Ranking of the efficiency of water resources use in Polish cities” are announced every year at the „Economy of a Water City” Congress, which is traditionally held in autumn in Wrocław.

The index is the first and so far the only publication available on the Polish market that broadly defines the strengths and weaknesses as well as the needs and challenges in the management of „blue infrastructure” in our cities. The Water City INDEX ranking was created for city authorities, representatives of the local community, entrepreneurs, non-governmental organizations, public institutions and all other entities involved in the protection of water resources, but also for residents.

The numbers making up the ranking perfectly illustrate how cities live with water on a daily basis. From year to year, we draw more and more interesting conclusions and see how our water-city relations are changing. Moreover, the results of the ranking are a valuable source of information for local authorities at various stages of shaping and implementing local water policy. Therefore, with even greater joy and pride, we present you each subsequent edition of Water City INDEX.

“We strive to achieve the goals of sustainable development and to increase climate resilience. Unfortunately, without taking care of water, these goals will never be achieved, and climate change will hit us hard. The Water City INDEX should be treated as a preliminary diagnosis of the water problems we deal with in Polish cities. Importantly, the ranking is designed not only to compare cities in the context of water management, but above all to show their strengths and encourage the sharing of knowledge and experience with others. It is also a starting point for in-depth, individual analyzes in cooperation with cities. We would like the Water City INDEX 2021 ranking to be a continuation of the discussion on both the problems and opportunities for water cities. That is why I encourage you to familiarize yourself with our study and to discuss important topics – water topics, emphasizes” Jarosław Miziołek, CEO at Arcadis Poland.

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WATER CITY INDEX 2021 RANKING RESULTS

The 2021 ranking, like last year, separately classifies metropolises (8), cities with poviat status (58) and cities that are not cities with poviat status, with at least 20,000 inhabitants (152). The authors of the report analyzed a total of 218 Polish cities within 4 areas and 14 categories of assessment:

• life (drinking water, brown water, infrastructure maintenance);
• culture and people (waterfront, blue and green infrastructure, harmonious urban space);
• threat (flood, shortage (drought), sector threat, rainwater, local government activity);
• economy and business (water for industry, business attractiveness, water transport).

Based on the results of the assessment of areas and categories, three best cities were selected in each of the main rankings.

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WATER CITY INDEX AUTHORS

The implementation of Water City INDEX is the responsibility of academics at the University of Economics in Krakow, experts from Arcadis and the Foundation for Economy and Public Administration. Here they are:

Professor Jerzy Hausner
Chairman of the Program Council, Open Eyes Economy