The enabling institutional context for integrated water management: lessons from Melbourne

Area of Science:

• Urban Water Management
• Environmental Science
• Public Policy

Background:

• Global challenges like climate change and resource scarcity impact urban water services.
• A shift towards integrated water management is proposed but practical implementation is limited.
• Few cities have successfully transitioned from traditional centralized water infrastructure.

Purpose of the Study:

• To analyze Melbourne's experience in adopting hybrid centralized and decentralized water infrastructure.
• To identify the institutional context enabling this transition.
• To draw lessons for enabling future shifts in urban water servicing.

Main Methods:

• Qualitative single-case study of Melbourne's water system changes.
• Interviews with urban water practitioners involved in system changes.
• Envisioning workshops to gather insights on the transition process.

Main Results:

• Significant changes observed in cultural-cognitive, normative, and regulative dimensions of Melbourne's water system.
• Key enablers included shifts in professional beliefs, new knowledge acquisition, evolving water servicing priorities, political leadership, community engagement, improved governance, and market mechanisms.
• The transition involved a hybrid model of centralized and decentralized water infrastructure.

Conclusions:

• Melbourne's experience offers valuable lessons for other cities.
• Prescriptive guidance can be developed from these lessons to facilitate the adoption of new water servicing modes.
• Successful transitions support more liveable, sustainable, and resilient urban environments.