Rivers shaped our cities, and they are now essential to climate adaptation. Paola Viganò, professor at EPFL's Laboratory of Urbanism, explains why river management is as political and social as it is technical, from flood risk and environmental justice to "sponge cities". On our own campus, the Chamberonne is a living lab for water research, and Lake Geneva heats and cools our buildings, oil-free since 2022, saving ~1,400 t CO₂/year. https://actu.epfl.ch/news/how-rivers-shape-cities-and-societies