RECREATE at ICUC12: Presenting a climate-resilient water framework for arid islands
RECREATE was featured at the 12th International Conference on Urban Climate (ICUC12), held in Rotterdam on 7-11 July, marking an important milestone in its efforts to strengthen climate-resilient water systems in vulnerable regions.
Dr. Ioannis Zarikos, Postdoctoral Researcher at the National Center for Scientific Research "Demokritos", presented RECREATE's latest findings through a presentation titled "Communal rainwater harvesting framework for reducing water scarcity and desalinated water production in arid and semi-arid islands."
The presentation focused on the Syros case study, part of RECREATE's Mediterranean demonstration site. Like many islands in the Cyclades region, Syros faces increasing water scarcity due to the combined effects of climate change and high seasonal water demand. While seawater desalination is currently used as a supplementary water source, it remains energy-intensive and carbon-heavy.
RECREATE proposes an innovative communal rainwater harvesting (RWH) framework that harnesses Syros's traditional architectural features, such as flat roofs and built-in cisterns, by incorporating both public and low-storage buildings into a collective RWH system. This integrated approach could provide up to 50m3 of water per capita annually, significantly reducing reliance on desalinated water during the off-tourist season and lowering associated carbon emissions.
This scalable, low-impact solution leverages existing infrastructure and offers a replicable model for other arid and semi-arid islands in the Mediterranean and beyond. Syros case study contributes directly to RECREATE's broader mission to promote the use of alternative water resources – including rainwater harvesting, water reuse and managed aquifer recharge – to enhance water resilience across Europe.
The research presented at ICUC12 has also been formally published and is available at:
Zarikos, I., Politi, N., Vlachogiannis, D., Sfetsos, A., and Vakondios, D.: Communal rainwater harvesting framework for reducing water scarcity and desalinated water production in arid and semi-arid islands., 12th International Conference on Urban Climate, Rotterdam, The Netherlands, 7-11 Jul 2025, ICUC12-668, https://doi.org/10.5194/icuc12-668, 2025.
Publishing date:
