RAINBOW
RAINBOW is a transdisciplinary European project that brings together cities, researchers, public authorities and civil-society organisations to co-design and test place-based, participatory approaches for restoring urban water cycles and advancing the transition towards Sponge Cities.
RAINBOW is a European project funded by the Interreg North-West Europe programme that brings together nine partners from Belgium, Germany, France and the Netherlands. It addresses the increasing pressures that climate change places on urban water cycles, including flooding, drought, water scarcity and declining groundwater resources. The project supports the transition towards Sponge Cities, where urban areas retain, infiltrate, reuse and release water as part of a more balanced water cycle. It develops a shared Sponge Cities Strategy, four city action plans and a transferable toolbox for groundwater management, spatial planning, nature-based solutions and blue-green infrastructure. Pilot activities in Brussels, Lens-Liévin, Stuttgart and Zwolle test these approaches in distinct urban and peri-urban contexts. At the Faculty of Architecture La Cambre Horta, the LoUIsE team contributes to the mapping and analysis of urban water systems, the identification of planning and policy instruments, and the co-design of landscape measures adapted to local conditions. By placing soil and groundwater at the centre of urban planning, RAINBOW supports climate-resilient urban transformations and the restoration of water cycles. RAINBOW connects scientific, technical and administrative expertise to strengthen the capacity of cities and service providers to advance the Sponge City transition across North-West Europe.