Water governance in an urban age (original) (raw)

special issue of the International Journal of Water on Shifts in Urban Water Governance paradigms

In this introduction we will first deal with the problem: Why is water governance important? Secondly, different definitions of water governance will be reviewed to bring out the essential elements of this concept and to distinguish different issues. Subsequently some theoretical insights will be reviewed concerning the factors influencing successful water governance. A theoretical framework for the contributions to this special issue of the International Journal of Water will be provided. Currently water governance structures are often not able to deal with these challenges, which require reform and appropriate decision making structures. The contributions in this issue deal with reforming government organizations to improve service delivery, while stimulating participation of stakeholders in the water sector. Finally an indication of types of shifts in water governance will be given which will be given based on the different contributions to this special issue, which will be introduced at the end.

The Challenges of Water Management and Governance in Cities

Water

Combined impacts of sea-level rise, river flooding, increased frequency and magnitude of extreme rainfall, heatwaves, water scarcity, water pollution, ageing or lacking infrastructures for water, wastewater and solid waste in rapidly urbanising regions in the world call for improved water management and governance capacity in cities to accelerate the transition to water-wise cities. The sixteen contributions to this Special Issue create further awareness and present solutions on integrated approaches, advanced water management practices and water governance strategies. It is concluded that cities require a long-term strategy and a multilevel water governance approach. Research has shown how important it is to involve the civil society and private parties early on in this process to create success. Collaboration among cities and regions by sharing best practices for rapid implementation are crucial to cope with nearly all Sustainable Development Goals.

Territorial Integration of Water Management in the City

Water Challenges of an Urbanizing World, 2018

This chapter addresses the need for an integrated approach of water management and governance in the urban areas. Water is understood as a natural and social common good, and the relations between different uses and current management practices are analyzed. This approach needs otherwise to influence not only the technical and social spheres but also the policy one. Therefore, a policy effective integration of the comprehensive and interdisciplinary understanding of water problems is advocated and proposed under the concept of integrated urban water policy (IUWP). The final objective is a contribution to an adequate conceptual and operational framework that enables a better and more effective understanding of the multiple dimensions and complexity of integrated management of water uses, in coherent relation with land use planning.

Urban Water Governance and Management

International Journal of Science and Research (IJSR), 2020

The relationship between governance structures for managing water in selected cities and the performance of water policy outcomes (access, quality, tariffs, reliability of service provision, equity, sustainability, etc.) and to explore governance mechanisms that can deal with fragmentation to improve urban water management, including those favouring inter-sectoral complementarities. This implies looking at coordination failures and best practices across water management functions drinking water supply. As such, the paper will focus more specifically on the contribution of governance, urban partnerships and stakeholder engagement as governance instruments that can help address fragmentation of water-related tasks, and foster cooperation to overcome mismatches across water management functions in a given city, between cities and their surroundings, and between water functions and other policy areas.

Water and the (All Too Easy) Promised City: A Critique of Urban Water Governance

Urban Water Trajectories, 2017

The reform of urban water services, and the related reorganisation of environmental conservation, has been influenced by novel approaches focused on flexibility, adaptability and partnership that are commonly described as the agenda of water governance. This new agenda, widely accepted worldwide in the last three decades, entails a convergence of de-regulation and re-regulation policies, including incentives for decentralisation and market-based solutions. The chapter specifically examines the influence of urban water governance reforming public services and environmental conservation in Glasgow (UK) and in Lima (Peru). These two case studies, despite their idiosyncratic complexities, are highly emblematic of the controversies surrounding water governance. Glasgow is an intriguing example of a post-industrial European conurbation and Lima is a paradigmatic case of an emerging megacity at the intersection of post-colonial legacies and market globalisation. In both metropolitan areas, recent projects and policy adjustments reveal the achievements, but also the shortcomings of water governance. One main problem is that public participation has been appropriated by the same agencies that in the past promoted highly centralised, disjointed and politically asymmetric administration. Furthermore, positive results from increased investments and rationalisation of water services have been undermined by the discriminatory and short-term basis of the discourse and practice of urban water governance.

Achieving integrated urban water management: planning top-down or bottom-up?

Water Science & Technology, 2009

Integrated Urban Water Management (IUWM) acknowledges a broad range of environmental and socio-economic outcomes but the link between design intentions and operational performance is not always clear. This may be due in part to a lack of shared principles that remove bias and inconsistency in assessing the operational performance of IUWM. This paper investigates the possibility of developing shared principles through examination of shared objectives and shared indicators within two logical and integrated frameworks for urban residential developments that aspire for IUWM and sustainable development. The framework method was applied using very different approaches—one a top-down urban planning process, the other a bottom-up community consultation process. Both frameworks highlight the extent to which IUWM is part of a broad social and environmental system. Core environmental performance objectives and indicators were very similar, highlighting the potential to develop shared principle...

Policy Briefing: Land and Water Governance in Urban Regions

Water International and IWRA Policy Briefings are published by IWRA with the support of Routledge. They aim to provide high quality analysis and practical recommendations for policy makers on important development issues. Key Policy Messages: • As urbanisation intensifies, good governance must include better integration of shifting boundaries between land and water. • Effective governance must confront the unique challenges of three distinct landwater frontiers: vertical (concealed interdependencies), horizontal (conflicting uses) and fluid (uncertainty). • It is necessary to break down the current institutional divide between spatial planning and water management to produce a more united and coherent strategy that carefully balances flexibility and robustness in the management of land and water in urban areas.

The Water‐Sensitive City: Implications of an urban water management paradigm and its globalization

WIREs Water, 2018

The urban water management (UWM) community is embracing a paradigm shift to tackle the escalating water stress experienced in several cities globally, as existing challenges are predicted to be exacerbated by climate change and population growth. The term "Water Sensitive City" (WSC) is widely used in literature to describe this new ideal to aim for, where cities will successfully deliver safe and reliable water services to all, now and in the future, in an eco-friendly manner. This green, long-term vision implies a large amount of stakeholder coordination and institutional support, as well as participatory community engagement. Examining the foundations and principles of the WSC as well as the experiences in its application, impacts and limitations, particularly in the Global South, provides a space to further contribute to the dynamic field of UWM and governance. This article provides a condensed overview of the WSC approach and related emerging conversations in the urban water sector across a range of disciplines: the objective is to nurture reflection from young professionals entering the field of UWM, but also to offer an opportunity for more experienced scholars and practitioners to take a step back in considering this rising approach from different perspectives.