Policy Lab for Intermunicipal Collaboration on Resilient Water Management and Climate Adaptation inConnected Geographies – The Säveån River Basin

Research Project, 2026 – 2028

Climate change creats complex challenges for sustainable water management in urban regions,particularly in river basins where risks of flooding, drought, and landslides are escalating. Withoutintermunicipal collaboration, there is lack of holistic perspectives and risk of fragmented solutions,upstream-downstream conflicts, and trade-offs with other societal goals.

The project develops an innovative coordination model for climate adaptation in the Säveån river basin.The municipalities Alingsås, Lerum, Partille, and Gothenburg and the Gothenburg Region
collaborate with academia (Chalmers University of Technology, Kommunforskning i Västsverige) and process facilitators(RISE). Using
policy lab methods for policy development, the project establishes a
platform for dialogue,knowledge-building, and testing of new approaches. Deliverables are:
- A coordination model for joint governance of climate adaptation
- An established collaboration forum with a mandate to drive issues at the river basin level
- A methodology handbook for dissemination and replication in other functional geographies

The project contributes to Water Wise Societies’ Mission 3 by strengthening society’s resilience to floodingand drought, while addressing a critical policy gap in intermunicipal collaboration. The project willstrengthen GR’s capacity to drive collaboration on complex climate and societal challenges. The resultswill be institutionalized as a mandate for GR, with application in additional river basins.