Governance structures and strategies to support innovation and adaptability

Abstract

This report sets out an innovation model for influencing governance change. The premise for the study was that, in order to pursue the fundamental changes to institutions needed to support water sensitive cities (WSC), incremental policy changes which progressively challenge these institutions need to be actively fostered. The model has been developed from research on a series of case studies at different stages of adopting innovative technologies, policies, and policy mechanisms.

The research adopted a model based on three phases of innovation – initiation, experimentation, and integration – which move from project ideas through pilot schemes to wider delivery systems and institutionalisation. This report collates the results of a range of empirical case studies at various phases of the model, to identify lessons and strategies that practitioners can adopt in their own contexts.