PRIMER The Water-Sensitive City: Implications of an urban water management paradigm and its globalization Françoise Bichai 1,2 | Andres Cabrera Flamini 2 1 Department of Civil, Geological and Mining Engineering, École Polytechnique de Montréal, Montreal, Quebec, Canada 2 Department of Integrated Water Systems and Governance, IHE-Delft, Delft, The Netherlands Correspondence Françoise Bichai, Department of Civil, Geological and Mining Engineering, École Polytechnique de Montréal, 2900 Edouard Montpetit Blvd, 2500 ch. Polytechnique, Montreal, Quebec H3T 1J4, Canada. Email: fbichai@polymtl.ca The urban water management (UWM) community is embracing a paradigm shift to tackle the escalating water stress experienced in several cities globally, as exist- ing challenges are predicted to be exacerbated by climate change and population growth. The term “Water Sensitive City” (WSC) is widely used in literature to describe this new ideal to aim for, where cities will successfully deliver safe and reliable water services to all, now and in the future, in an eco-friendly manner. This green, long-term vision implies a large amount of stakeholder coordination and institutional support, as well as participatory community engagement. Exam- ining the foundations and principles of the WSC as well as the experiences in its application, impacts and limitations, particularly in the Global South, provides a space to further contribute to the dynamic field of UWM and governance. This article provides a condensed overview of the WSC approach and related emerging conversations in the urban water sector across a range of disciplines: the objective is to nurture reflection from young professionals entering the field of UWM, but also to offer an opportunity for more experienced scholars and practitioners to take a step back in considering this rising approach from different perspectives. This article is categorized under: Engineering Water > Sustainable Engineering of Water Engineering Water > Water, Health, and Sanitation Engineering Water > Planning Water 1 | INTRODUCTION: GROWING CHALLENGES IN URBAN WATER MANAGEMENT UNDER COMPETING PRESSURES Professionals entering the field of urban water management (UWM) are faced with a complex picture: water service provi- sion in urban centers worldwide is confronted with major challenges regarding aging infrastructure, depleted resources, and changing precipitation patterns in face of growing and competing demands (Koop & van Leeuwen, 2017; McDonald et al., 2014). These challenges will be exacerbated by the foreseen and unforeseen impacts of climate change and increased urbani- zation (Burn, Maheepala, & Sharma, 2012). Scenarios of future climate change impacts highlight the probability of increased and erratic precipitation leading to intense floods and protracted droughts (Keath & Brown, 2008) and impacts on hydrologi- cal systems, both affecting the quality and quantity of water resources (IPCC, 2014). Degrading water quality (e.g., due to changes in sediment loads, evaporation rates, and salinity) may consequently pose potential health risks to consumers (Delpla, Jung, Baures, Clement, & Thomas, 2009). Meanwhile, a continuously growing population, with its multitude of demands for adequate services for existing and future generations, intensifies the pressure on existing water resources and their availability. The expected global population growth for the next 40 years is projected to be concentrated in urban areas, with 86 and 64% of the population living in urban areas of developed and developing countries, respectively (Van Leeuwen, 2013). The demand for water services will Received: 30 June 2017 Revised: 1 December 2017 Accepted: 19 December 2017 DOI: 10.1002/wat2.1276 WIREs Water. 2018;e1276. wires.wiley.com/water © 2018 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. 1 of 9 https://doi.org/10.1002/wat2.1276