The water sustainable city : science policy and practice Cities place enormous pressures on freshwater quality and availability because they are often located some distance from the water sources needed by their populations. This fact compels planners to build infrastructure to divert water from increasingly distant outlying rural areas thus disrupting their social fabric and environment. In addition increasing urbanization due to population growth economic change and sprawl places huge burdens upon the institutions as well as the infrastructure that deliver protect and treat urban water. This book assesses the challenges facing the worlds cities in providing reliable safe and plentiful supplies through infrastructural economic legal and political strategies