To address the climate adaptation of cities, today's water managers need more than technical skills to drive sustainable urban water projects, which also stimulate demand for post-graduate education so that professionalisation of integrated sustainable water management in the public sector can be achieved. The 'urban water platform' was tested and is hereby presented as a course concept for building collective capabilities for integrated sustainable water design among local authorities in Denmark. The course is an innovation because: 1) it invites urban planners, road and park managers and sewage managers to take part in a dialogue about sustainable urban water projects, while collectively exploring new design solutions; 2) it facilitates an appreciative communication between several disciplines; 3) it promotes careful planning in the early stages of an urban water construction project.