Urbanization has become one of the predominant forces driving global change. In recent decades, the impacts of urbanization on the environment and ecosystems have been reduced in developed countries. However, rapid urbanization experienced in developing countries has presented new challenges and impeded sustainable development. Frequent floods, eutrophication of limited water resources, degradation of regional soil, water, and air quality, and risks to food security and human health which were obstacles for developed countries in the past century are now onerous in developing countries. What lessons can be learned and applied from the experience in developed countries that will help alleviate environmental degradation and promote sustainable development in the developing world today and in the future? The watershed approach has proved useful in understanding impacts of human activities and managing water quality and resources in many areas. This international workshop will address on urbanization-driven changes in water resources, environmental quality, contaminant fates, modeling and prediction, and related management strategies and policies at a watershed scale, with a focus on comparisons between developed and developing countries.