The project, funded under the German Federal Ministry of Education and Research (FKZ 01 LE 1907), ran from 2019 to 2021 and brought together partners from Germany and Southeast Asia to address the rapid urban transformation of secondary and tertiary cities in the region. The GermanWaterPartnership, the Habitat‑Unit at TU Berlin, and local municipal authorities in the three pilot cities co‑produced a comprehensive data set that underpins the project’s scientific outputs. In 2019 the team established a central database containing water‑related and other project‑relevant information for each city, and produced thematic overview maps summarising geographic, demographic, climatic, topographic and land‑use characteristics. These artefacts were used to identify key questions and challenges through multi‑criteria decision analysis.

During 2020 and 2021 the focus shifted to analysing the collected data and building first‑principle models of the physical and socio‑ecological systems in each city. Using the DPSIR framework (Drivers‑Pressures‑State‑Impact‑Response) the team assessed risks to urban water resources, taking into account diverse stakeholder perspectives. The analysis revealed that unplanned urban expansion, limited public infrastructure, and climate‑driven extremes—particularly intensified rainfall and drought—exacerbate water scarcity, wastewater overload, and water‑body pollution. The modelling exercise identified opportunities for decentralized, sustainable water‑resource management that could mitigate these pressures. The Habitat‑Unit’s work package further characterised urban resources, actors, practices, and development potentials at micro‑ and meso‑levels. A SWOT analysis highlighted synergies between water and wastewater challenges and other urban development issues, while mapping existing governance structures and planning systems.

The project’s scientific results are framed within a polycentric management approach that respects the heterogeneity of the three pilot cities. The outputs—database, GIS maps, DPSIR risk profiles, SWOT matrices, and preliminary system models—provide a baseline for the forthcoming research and development phase. Although the report does not report specific performance metrics, the successful completion of the database, the creation of detailed maps, and the derivation of actionable change opportunities demonstrate the project’s methodological rigor and its capacity to inform policy.

Collaboration was central to the project’s design and execution. The GermanWaterPartnership coordinated the overall strategy, while the Habitat‑Unit at TU Berlin led the scientific monitoring of the real‑lab experiments. Local partners in the pilot cities facilitated data collection, stakeholder workshops, and the integration of municipal governance insights. The project’s outputs were presented at international fora, including the World Urban Forum 10 (2020) and the UNESCAP Penang Platform for Sustainable Urbanization (2019), where participants from the private sector, government, and civil society discussed the findings and identified strategic options for the next phase. Hybrid conferences organized by the project further broadened the dialogue and attracted new partners for the research and development stage. The final capacity‑building strategy report, published in 2021, synthesises the work package results and outlines the planned trajectory for the subsequent research phase, ensuring that the collaborative network remains engaged and that the project’s scientific insights translate into actionable policy and practice.