System wide changes and game changing technologies discussed earlier need to be coupled with governance and institutional structures that support their implementation. In addition, there are opportunities of introducing green economy to benefit from the innovations being proposed and further research is required on how best to maximize this. A major challenge is that the urban water practitioners responsible for implementing water infrastructure systems are not educated in a way that encourages systems thinking. Hence, there is a need for innovative curriculum development that supports human settlements of the future.
The overall objective of this focal area is to analyze the governance and institutional aspects of urban water management and propose best practices for different economical and geographical setting of developed and developed countries.
- Examine the appropriate level of centralization and decentralization of urban water management according to the prevailing technical considerations and of economies of scale and necessary conditions of autonomy for the decentralized scheme in order to insure viability and effectiveness, considering case studies.
- Develop a conceptual framework of institutional structures conducive to the adoption of more effective management that enables the necessary transitional process and introduction of innovative practices, including effective conflict resolution mechanisms.
- Investigate the current and potential links of effective urban water management to the generation of green growth, including the introduction of water beneficiation processes and the impact of urban agriculture.
- Promote capacity development of a new generation of urban leaders with a wider vision of the role of the city processes with the economy and the interaction between the urban infrastructure for the different urban services, and sensitive to appropriate innovations, placing a special emphasis on urban water management aspects.
- Carry out a survey of current participatory approaches applicable to urban water management and how participating stakeholders can effectively be integrated into the decision-making process and into potential transitioning processes under various environments, and formulate appropriate conclusions.