Cultural Narratives on Constraints to Community Engagement in Urban Water Restoration

Abstract

Natural resource professionals increasingly recognize that water protection and restoration efforts require not only technical solutions, but also the active engagement of stakeholders who live and work in the local community. People of color, and those of lower income brackets, are frequently underrepresented in water‐related programming or decision‐making, although they are often disproportionately affected by water problems. Effective engagement of diverse community members in water programs and projects requires understanding and addressing constraints to action. We conducted 25 interviews with community members who live or work in a highly urbanized Minnesota watershed to explore perceived obstacles to community engagement in local water resource protection and restoration. Based on self‐reported race, ethnicity, and general community engagement level, interviewees were assigned to one of three “stakeholder groups” for comparative analysis: formal decision‐makers, active white community members, and active community members of color. Qualitative analysis of responses revealed perceived constraints to engagement common to all three groups: inaccessibility and invisibility of water, lack of local leadership in water issues, and limited community dialogue about water problems and solutions. Additional constraints were perceived uniquely by community members of color: cultural constraints around water uses, recreation, action, and inequities or disenfranchisement in community decision‐making processes and water programming. Study findings suggest partnership building is needed for collaboration in designing civic engagement programs and improving water protection and restoration projects.

Local Perception in Forest Landscape Restoration Planning: A Case Study From the Brazilian Atlantic Forest

“…One way to assess those aspects is through bottom-up approaches, including local stakeholders' involvement and participation (Adams et al, 2016;Bennett et al, 2016;Holl, 2017;Morales-Reyes et al, 2017;Sterling et al, 2017;De Pinto et al, 2020;Melo et al, 2020;Sánchez-Mercado et al, 2020;Castelli et al, 2021), in accordance with the principles of social sustainability (one of the three pillars of sustainability) (Purvis et al, 2019). This approach discloses local experience and perceptions on the socio-cultural and economic causes behind a specific problem (Pradhananga et al, 2019), indicating what is locally important (Fraser et al, 2006), increasing the empowerment and chances of involvement of local actors, helping gain the social support needed to achieve the multiple goals and a long-term success of FLR (Latawiec et al, 2015;Schweizer et al, 2019).…”

Developing Water Leaders as Catalysts for Change: The Nebraska Water Leaders Academy

“…Water‐related leadership development programs are needed that prepare participants to be catalysts of change and to lead others through change (Burbach et al 2015; Pradhananga et al 2019). Traditional models of leadership development may be inadequate to develop catalysts of change (Rost 1993; Allen et al 2006).…”