The project KURAS aims at the development and exemplary demonstration of integrated concepts for the sustainable treatment of wastewater and stormwater in urban quarters. Particularly in view of future demographics and climate changes, the existing sewer networks will be facing increasing problems.

In the scope of this interdisciplinary project, guidelines are to be prepared for municipalities and the operators of sewer networks featuring low downhill gradients in order to facilitate the operation, expansion and modification of the existing technical wastewater infrastructure according to future needs.

In addition, concepts for the sustainable stormwater management in urban quarters implying the following issues are to be developed:

1. Creating comparability of centralised and decentralised stormwater management schemes with regard to their impact on environment, urban climate, building physics and costs

2. Optimising the combination of stormwater measures for quarters, small towns and metropolises for both existing building stock and developing areas in view of their applicability

3. Consideration of future changes

4. Demonstration by means of two model quarters in Berlin

5. Generating suggestions for sustainable financing models and basic regulatory measures.

Through the involvement of academia, industry and municipalities the KURAS project pools the longstanding multifaceted expertise in the fields of wastewater systems and stormwater management available in Berlin.

Selected publications produced in the KURAS project are available here.

Stormwater management in urban areas – Presentation of 19 urban ecology projects:

• Ecologic city map

• http://www.kuras-projekt.de/

© Header photo: Andreas FranzXaver Süß