The Syracuse Project – A Global Approach to the Management of Water Uses in an Urban Ecosystem

The centralised management of the water cycle in the urban environment that has prevailed since the 19th century has today reached its limits, and in an increasingly water-stressed and contaminated environment it is now necessary to assess the benefits to be derived from adopting a new approach. It is the aim of the Syracuse research project to answer that question. This paper explains the methodology used in Syracuse, with particular reference to the urban water cycle. After reviewing the state of the knowledge of existing or potential options in connection with the water, energy and waste cycles in the urban environment, the project will attempt to evaluate small-loop configurations and the synergies that can be achieved between and within these loops. The aim will be to assess the benefits to be derived, more specially in terms of environmental impacts, in comparison with a centralised, single-sector scenario. This will make it possible to identify requirements governing their implementation, operation and maintenance. For that purpose, the Syracuse project will involve ten real-life applications that will be examined in 2013 and 2014. These cases will be selected to reflect a variety of contexts (climate, water, urban, institutional, etc.).