In 2006 the SWITCH project began a 5 year journey of working directly with cities to catalyse change to more sustainable urban water management. A consortium of 33 research partners from 15 countries have been
working with practitioners (urban planners, local government, utilities, NGOs +) in 12 cities on 4 continents to implement innovative scientific, technological and socio-economic solutions.

The SWITCH approach includes:
• Moving to closed loop systems that integrate all aspects of the water cycle – water, wastewater, stormwater and natural systems
• Solutions across multiple scales – household to city level and integrating water into urban planning
• Knowledge sharing between North and South countries and between scientist and practitioners
• Addressing current problems while strategically planning a resilient and sustainable future
• Understanding the best local solutions for different climatic, institutional and economic situations
• Combining the latest technologies with natural systems