We carried out the development of the main document of the National Urban Stormwater Plan for Uruguay, a guiding framework that laid the foundation for an integrated and sustainable management of water surpluses in urban areas throughout the country. The plan aimed to guide local planning processes related to stormwater management, integrating both flood risk mitigation and the opportunities that water offers for territorial development and socio-urban integration.

We defined principles for water and land-use planning to serve as a reference for cities across the country, conducted a first estimate of investments and operating costs at the national scale, and identified investment strategies and priorities to optimize resources and maximize their impact. We also proposed a governance model to facilitate the effective implementation of planning and water management actions in urban areas.

The work was developed in three phases:

• Proactive diagnosis: We analyzed background information by locality, interviewed the 19 departmental governments and various key stakeholders, identified water-related issues, and carried out a technical, territorial, institutional, and financial assessment. We also conducted methodological benchmarking and calculated the national stormwater infrastructure gap.

• Roadmap development: We defined the sector vision, the framework and conceptual pillars, strategic lines, and adaptive planning scenarios, and prepared a roadmap to guide the implementation of the plan. This stage included a workshop with departmental governments and key stakeholders.

• Strategic plan formulation: We prioritized short- and medium-term interventions and strategies (10 years), defined an investment plan, actions for implementation and monitoring, and assessed risks associated with its execution.

Through this work, we contributed to providing the country with a key tool to address the challenges of urban stormwater drainage, with a strategic, inclusive, and long-term perspective.