A Tribute to Peter Stahre
Remembering Dr. Peter Stahre
Peter Stahre, a diplomate of AAWRE since September 2005, was an international known expert and teacher in the field of "sustainable urban drainage". A respected friend and colleague of many in the water resources community in Europe, the U.S., and other parts of the world, Peter's passing has left a gap keenly felt by many.
Dr. Stahre died on the morning of April 1, where he served as deputy managing director of Malmo Water & Wastewater Works in Sweden. Peter was only 59 years of age, as he had been battling cancer in recent years. His funeral was held on April 8th at Our Savior church in Malmo, Sweden- the church where his family attended.
Dr. Stahre's career covered the public, academic, and private sectors, as he worked as technical director of Malmo Water & Wastewater Works from 1984 to 2001, before becoming the deputy managing director in 2002. Peter also was a part-time professor at Lund University of Technology in Sweden from 1993 to 1997 and as acting professor at the Royal Institute of Technology in Sweden in 1979 to 1980. However, early in his career, he also worked as an engineer for SWECO Consulting Engineers.
Peter attended the Royal Institute of Technology in Stockholm, Sweden, where he earned his master's degree in civil engineering in 1973 and later earning his doctor of science in water resources engineering in 1981.
Dr. Stahre was highly active in ASCE's Environmental Water Resources Institute (EWRI) Committee on Urban Watershed Management. He was also actively involved as a member of the Swedish Society of Civil Engineers (SVR) and the Swedish Association for Water (SAW). Peter was a licensed engineer in Sweden.
Throughout his notable career, Peter published many journal articles, technical reports, contributed to text books, and participated in many international water and environmental conferences. He is considered by many as father of Malmö's first environmentally- friendly water management system. Reductions in the amount of flooding in the Malmö area are attributed to Dr. Stahre's research and persistent work. In 2008, he was awarded the prestigious Water Prize from the Water Association, which is awarded to individuals that promote better water management.
His latest book was recently published, which is titled "Blue-Green Fingerprints in the City of Malmo, Sweden". The book describes Malmö's transition from a traditional urban drainage in buried pipes towards a sustainable urban drainage in open systems. In the book, 18 different sustainable urban drainage projects in Malmö are described.
Dr. Stahre wrote:
"The idea to compile this book came up during discussions I had in 2006 with my friend Tom Liptan of Portland, Oregon. We both share the experiences that the way towards a sustainable urban drainage is not always so easy and that it often takes unexpectedly long time. The concept of sustainable urban drainage was introduced in the city of Malmö already in the late 1980s. Over the two decades, the new drainage concept has been applied in Malmö and the technique has gradually been developed and further refined. This applies both to the physical planning and to the preferences regarding the technical configuration".
"The intention of this book is to describe Malmö's transition from a traditional urban drainage in buried pipes towards a sustainable urban drainage in open systems. The transition that took 5-10 years was not problem-free. Many barriers and obstacles had to be overcome on the way. Most of these were of institutional nature. One important factor for a successful result was the trustful and prestige-less cooperation that gradually developed between the top management of the technical departments, especially between the managers of Malmö Water and the department of Parks and City environment."
Peter was born on July 3, 1949 in Borås, Sweden, and raised there. Peter is survived by his wife, Malina Stahre-Godycka, and daughter Misia Stahre.
Malina reflected:
"My family is very appreciative by the outpouring of support and prayers that have come from many of Peter's colleagues and friends from all over the world. We are also proud to hear a lot not only about his contribution to make our cities a better place to live, but also about his capacity of building relationship with others to make a positive difference and better the quality of lives and communities around him. Peter liked the expression "no man is an island".
Many letters from around the world —outpour of emotion about Peter, that he was a true leader in his profession in which his work and research will live on for years to come. But one of the things that touched our family in a special way was- the universal theme of those letters and conversations has been (about) Peter himself. I have comments made to me that people felt fortunate to have known Peter- that his peaceful and thoughtful presence will be missed. That his legacy will live on not only in the technologies he brought to bear, but also in that how generous he was in sharing his knowledge, time and helped others. His words of encouragement uplifted many around him often.
He was an inspiration of how he lived his life. The way he battled through his sickness in several (later) months with hope, courage and faith. Rock of our family. Loving husband and father. Peter called God our "Life and Project Manager" -as he believed in Him and left this life trusting His plans..."
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