Catalyzing an Emerging Industry - Spring

Team Members: Averill Wickland (Manager), Mohammad Umar Ashfaq (Deputy Manager), Kevin Cheng, Tiara Cunningham, Katie Flahive, Lacey McCarthy, Marissa Sterling, Jayson VanBeusichem, Louise Venables, Isaac Wilkins

Sustainable water management represents a critical challenge for rapidly growing coastal cities facing climate risks, aging infrastructure, and increasing economic demands. This project evaluated the feasibility of establishing a centralized water hub in New York City—a collaborative network connecting academic institutions, government agencies, and private companies to advance water innovation, technology development, and economic growth. Analysis of successful water hubs in Copenhagen, Singapore, Boston, Milwaukee, and Toronto demonstrated that coordinated partnerships enable cities to accelerate innovation, improve infrastructure performance, and generate economic opportunities. New York’s extensive water infrastructure, strong research base, and investment climate position it well to become a global leader in water sector innovation, but coordination gaps currently limit its full potential.

The research identified five key strategies to establish a successful water hub: defining clear leadership and governance structures; building coalitions across public, academic, and private sectors; creating stable funding mechanisms; fostering innovation through research partnerships; and promoting the hub as a global center for water expertise. These initiatives would strengthen collaboration, improve water system resilience, and support economic development by attracting investment and fostering technology commercialization. By facilitating innovation and coordination, a water hub could enhance water supply reliability, improve climate resilience, and position New York City as a global leader in sustainable water management. Such a model would also provide a replicable framework for other cities facing similar environmental and infrastructure challenges.

Learn more about the MPA-ESP Capstone projects.