Shifting climate patterns, rapid urbanization, and declining reliability of traditional supplies are increasing stress on urban water systems, particularly in arid and semi-arid regions. A Net Zero Urban Water (NZUW) approach meets water demands using locally available and sustainable water supply, without detriment to interconnected systems, affordability, or long-term supply.

This session explores integrated natural–built–social system approaches to support transition towards  NZUW and  water self-sufficiency in cities. We invite studies on: (1) the roles of centralized, decentralized, and distributed systems in achieving urban water self-sufficiency; (2) water treatment technologies, monitoring systems, and optimized retrofit strategies for integrating alternative water sources into existing urban water systems; (3) improved understanding of surface water–groundwater interactions influencing recharge and local water availability; and (4) governance and policy barriers, public trust and acceptance, and approaches to embedding equity and justice in the sociotechnical transition of urban water systems.

• H - Hydrology