Integrated urban water management in the water sensitive city: systems, silos and practitioners’ risk perceptions

Abstract

Integrated urban water management within the water-sensitive city will involve a mix of centralised and decentralised water systems, with different water sources, depending on the particular bio-geographical, social and political context of the city. This will require a whole-of-system approach to water management, in contrast to the traditional system of water supply, sanitation and drainage, managed separately.

Communities of practice, which might currently operate as silos, delivering one water service, will be required to collaborate in multi-disciplinary and potentially multi-sectoral teams across the system, to deliver multiple services. Unacknowledged risk perceptions held by these different communities of practice towards the different water supply options might impede their implementation. Thus, it is important to understand if risk perceptions (i.e. subjective responses to hazards) differ within the Australian urban water industry, and what personal and professional actors might influence them, in order to enhance the success of collaborative efforts.

Using data collected from 620 practitioners in a national online survey, we have shown that practitioners do associate benefits with each of the water supply systems that might comprise the water-sensitive city. Overall, they perceive slight to moderate general risk with each, but moderate to significant cost-related and political risks with many. Perceptions of a suite of 15 specific risks vary across the industry, particularly with primary qualification, stakeholder group and work area, reflecting communities of practice. Social learning is suggested as a process mechanism to reveal, consider and address these different risk perceptions, which might otherwise compromise integrated urban water management and the transition to the water-sensitive city.

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