The Turkish Ministry of the Environment and Forestry, and the International Water Association (IWA) have agreed to implement IWA’s Cities of the Future Programme with the three partner cities over a three year period. The project will culminate in an international Cities of the Future Conference in Istanbul in 2013.

Experts from the Istanbul Technical University, the Bogazici Institute of Environmental Sciences, other Turkish university collaborators and IWA international experts will provie models, technologies and approaches which meet the highest global standards in urban water management.

Glen Daigger, president-elect of IWA said: “Cities of the Future represents an acknowledgement by leaders in the water sector that the current, most predominately used techniques for water supply, wastewater treatment, and stormwater management do not reflect the growing realities of a changing global context. Human population growth, rising incomes, and increased urbanization are colliding with resource limits and global warming to create an imperative for change in both the developing and developed regions.”