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Thriving ancient cultures often found a balance between the availability of water and the need for it in their settlements to create a sustainable equation. However, the pace of urbanisation in many of our cities is straining the availability of water resources to its limit and to a point of depletion. The future of sustainable urbanisation lies in continuing to seek a balance with water by using age-old practices and wisdom combined with modern techniques. To befriend it and work with it by utilising its power so that we can continue to prosper close to water or in floating structures above it. The articles in this issue show how optimal city design can be achieved by intelligently harnessing the power of water, as in the projects in Jodhpur, Singapore, Christchurch and Rotterdam. These examples show how sustainable solutions can be reached in relation to water, while the articles on Hampi and River Oshiwara in Mumbai illustrate how the damage already done may be reversed.