Catherine Sutherland

Resilience, transition or transformation? A comparative analysis of changing water governance systems in four southern cities

Delegating state responsibilities for the management of water resources to regional bodies and the provision of drinking water and sanitation to local governments has led to new configurations in urban water governance. Drawing on case studies from four cities in the global South (Guarulhos, Arequipa, Lima and Durban), this article analyzes recent changes in these configurations, with particular attention to the role and power of the municipality in this process. This paper explores to what extent these new configurations reveal a move towards resilience, transition or even transformation. It concludes that there are clear indications of transition in all cases, and in Guarulhos and Durban even some signs of transformation. Given that transformative changes in the legal and institutional framework, and even in values and attitudes, have not yet affected the existing power structures, the question is to what extent these signs of transformation will reach their full potential.

Water and sanitation provision in eThekwini Municipality: a spatially differentiated approach

The rescaling of responsibilities in water governance in South Africa has enabled strong water services authorities, such as the eThekwini Water and Sanitation Unit (EWS) in eThekwini Municipality, to play a leading role in shaping water and sanitation policy in South Africa. Yet water governance in the city is complex, shaped by the interactions of multiple social, economic, political and environmental relations in a transforming, fast-growing city that still reflects the legacy of apartheid. This paper identifies and explores the four dominant water governance discourses evident at present in the municipality, namely “water as a human right”, “water as an economic good”, “the spatial differentiation of service provision” and finally, “experimental governance and incremental learning”, which frame the current approach adopted by EWS. These discourses provide the context for the reforms undertaken in water and sanitation provision post-apartheid in eThekwini Municipality.

Pushing the boundaries – urban edge challenges in eThekwini Municipality

This paper explores the evolution of the urban edge concept in the eThekwini Municipality between 2002 and 2013. It uses the theory of governmentality to analyse the discourses and practices of the local state as it attempts to manage rapid urban growth and restructure the post-apartheid city. It reveals how and why the current concept, the urban development line (UDL), with its associated practices, has become a dominant discourse in city policy- and decision-making. It then examines the contestations that have emerged around the ‘holding of the line’ and it reflects on the level of participation and political engagement that has taken place in the construction of the UDL concept. The paper argues that if the UDL concept is to play a meaningful role in the sustainability of the city in the future, its value and ‘politics’ need to be debated by multiple actors including politicians, officials, the private sectors and civil society within and beyond the boundaries of the Municipality.

Environmental problem-solving in South Africa : harnessing creative imaginaries to address 'wicked' challenges and opportunities

Abstract The world is confronting a range of ‘wicked problems’ that defy simple, linear solutions. Increasingly, the range of challenges including poverty, climate change and environmental degradation require solutions that cannot be drawn from a single knowledge base. Although excellent environmental legislation exists in South Africa (including that relating to climate change), it alone is not sufficient to solve the challenges the country faces. Rather, science that builds knowledge through engagement with a variety of actors, their views, expertise and perspectives, including mutual and transgressive learning, is required. This paper presents three South African case studies that reflect on the value of adopting transdisciplinary (TD) and co-production of knowledge (CPK) approaches to environmental problem-solving. Although not without their challenges, TD and CPK are inclusive approaches which usually enable a wider framing of environmental challenges and their ownership by various publics, and pave the way for effective implementation of solutions and actions.

Scenario Building as a Process and Tool in Urban Governance

Scenario building and related analysis is useful in several fields, ranging from military and business planning to its more recent applications in addressing global challenges such as climate change or economic crises. This chapter provides an overview of scenario building in urban governance. It introduces a corporate case (Shell) and then uses case studies on water and climate governance from the global South, specifically Lima (Peru), Guarulhos (Brazil), Durban (South Africa) and Dwarka (India) to illustrate the process of scenario building in practice. These case studies highlight the potential and challenges of scenario building as a process and tool in urban governance in fast-growing cities in emerging economies. The analysis reveals that the scenario-building process can be as important as its outcome, because the different perspectives of the participating actors, their understanding of the local context and mutual learning gained on the topic may influence their future plans and course of action. The socio-economic and political contexts of the cities under study play a significant role in shaping water governance issues, now and in the future.

Professor Rob Preston-Whyte

It is with deep sadness that we inform the broader geography community of the death, after a short illness, of Professor Rob Preston-Whyte, Emeritus Professor of the previous School of Environmental Sciences, University of KwaZulu-Natal. Born in the Midlands of KwaZulu-Natal, it is fitting that Rob lived out his life, after his retirement from the University of KwaZulu-Natal, on his small holding in Nottingham Road. Here he and his wife, Merle Holden were able to explore their many interests and find peace and happiness.

Participatory instruments and practices in urban governance

This chapter discusses both citizen and stakeholder participation as an instrument in urban governance. Citizens and other non-state actors can be involved in local decision-making in many different ways. Privatization of previously public entities such as municipal water companies, port authorities or educational institutes has created new local actors, adding new challenges to urban governance. Communication technologies both facilitate and complicate interaction between actors in the governance process. Where governance outcomes are contested, ordinary citizens increasingly take recourse to legal action or mobilise on ‘the streets’ to hold their governments to account. This chapter discusses these general trends while highlighting how issues of scale and local context shape participatory practices locally.