CASCAIS, PORTUGAL
FLOOD SMART STREAM: REHABILITATION AND RENATURALIZATION OF SASSOEIROS’ STREAM

Cascais has turned a flood-threatened stream into something extraordinary. The Sassoeiros project eliminates 100% of flood risk along the watercourse through four nature-based flow-damping basins with 80,000 m³ of storage capacity, but what makes it genuinely innovative is what those basins become when the rain stops: vibrant leisure spaces for residents. Add 14 hectares of renaturalised green infrastructure, the eradication of invasive species, and 4.6 kilometres of new pedestrian and cycle paths, and you have a project that has transformed a liability into a community asset. Already recognised by the Council of European Municipalities and Regions, it is a masterclass in what nature-based flood resilience can achieve.

AMMAN, JORDAN
SMART URBAN WATER MANAGEMENT: ENHANCING ADAPTIVE CAPACITY AND URBAN RESILIENCE THROUGH GREEN URBAN INFRASTRUCTURE

In one of the world’s most water-stressed cities, Amman is deploying rainwater harvesting, permeable surfaces, and green spaces to reduce flash flood risk and manage water scarcity. Developed with UN-Habitat Jordan and aligned with the Amman Climate Plan 2050, the initiative serves vulnerable communities including Syrian refugee populations. Drawing on Dutch water management expertise, it demonstrates that green urban infrastructure can simultaneously address flood risk, water scarcity, and social vulnerability in one of the world’s most water-stressed cities.

JAKARTA, INDONESIA
BRIGIF RESERVOIR: A HYBRID INFRASTRUCTURE

Jakarta’s Brigif Reservoir is a standout example of hybrid climate infrastructure done right. Completed in 2023, this 10-hectare multipurpose retention basin in South Jakarta applies Nature-based Solution principles to reduce fluvial flood risk across the Krukut watershed, protecting the Kemang business district from inundation. What distinguishes it is the deliberate fusion of functional flood retention with nature-based design – demonstrating that green and grey infrastructure are not alternatives but allies, and offering a compelling replicable model for other dense, flood-vulnerable cities across the region.

QUITO, ECUADOR
INNOVATIVE NATURE-BASED SOLUTIONS FOR URBAN FLOOD RESILIENCE — ISLA TORTUGA RAIN GARDENS PILOT

Small in scale, significant in ambition – Quito’s Isla Tortuga Rain Gardens pilot is exactly the kind of project that changes how cities think about flood risk. Five rain gardens covering just 400 m² are capturing and infiltrating up to 98 m³ of stormwater per rainfall event, reducing runoff while enhancing biodiversity, cooling the urban environment, and transforming public space. Implemented under the EU Horizon 2020 NICE programme, and designed explicitly for replication, this pilot punches well above its weight – proving that nature-based solutions can be embedded citywide, one neighbourhood at a time.