Pushing the Governance Boundaries: Making Transparent the Role of Water Utilities in Managing Urban Waterways

Cooper, Bethany; Crase, Lin; Maybery, Darryl

doi:10.1007/s11269-016-1457-9

Cited by 9 publications

(9 citation statements)

References 25 publications

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“…see Decker et al, 2020). The value of fluvial soundscapes is included in some analyses of the management of urban waterways (Cooper et al, 2017) but overlooked in others (Mekala et al, 2015), and more systematic acoustic analysis and appreciation of this aspect of the environment seems to be warranted.…”

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Acoustic methods in physical geography: Applications and future development

Dunkerley

2022

Progress in Physical Geography: Earth and Environment

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Sound is produced by many geomorphic and hydrological processes, such as rockfalls and landslides, ocean waves, fluvial flood flows and collisions among moving bedload clasts. In these and other areas of study, acoustic methods have found useful application to detect and quantify the operation of important landscape processes. In some, such as the recording of river discharge, the occurrence of rare events such as exfoliation or the presence and movement of dust devils (willy-willies), the use of acoustic methods is still in a relatively early stage of development and testing. The use of acoustic methods in the recording of rainfall occurrence and intensity is also developing and has the capacity to yield data with higher temporal resolution than can be achieved using conventional rain gauges. Novel acoustic methods include the analysis of the sound recorded by security cameras, which potentially form a vast network of observing stations. The frequencies of sound generated by land-surface processes include audible sound, ultrasound and infrasound at frequencies below the human hearing range. All appear to provide opportunities for further development of useful research tools and methodologies.

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Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Acoustic methods in physical geography: Applications and future development

Dunkerley

2022

Progress in Physical Geography: Earth and Environment

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“…This would entail (a) identifying sub-indices of the amenity of waterway landscapes and (b) ascribing tangible components that then inform the weight placed on those sub-indices. Cooper et al (2017) made some headway on improving our understanding of amenity by conducting a Delphi analysis to understand the key determinants of the amenity value of urban waterways. A Delphi analysis is restricted to "asking the experts" opinion.…”

Section: 1029/2022wr033737mentioning

confidence: 99%

“…The stated preference data used for the best-worst scaling analysis and the TURF analysis in this study are available at Cooper et al (2024) with licence CC BY 4.0. The models were estimated using STATA (StataCorp, 2015).…”

Section: Appendix A: Conditional Logit Models By Citymentioning

confidence: 99%

Managing and Prioritizing Investments in Urban Waterways: Empirical Insights Into the Preferences of the Public and Experts

Cooper,

Burton,

Crase

et al. 2024

Water Resources Research

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The world is more urbanized now than ever before and maintaining some form of amenity from natural or modified ecosystems in the urban context is an increasingly significant challenge. This is not aided by the somewhat amorphous definition of amenity itself. This article introduces a framework for conceptualizing the amenity of urban waterways and provides empirical evidence about the relative weight of the different determinants of waterway amenity. We use best‐worst scaling to examine how households rate the relative importance of the amenity attributes along with data about how households rate their “connection” to waterways. Comparisons of preferences are made across four cities in Australia, all ranked in the top 10 most liveable cities in the World in 2021. The study also captures the relative importance of how “experts” in the field perceive these attributes. We find evidence that public preferences are not always aligned with those of experts and uncover significant heterogeneity within household respondents. To illustrate one way to cater for this heterogeneity in urban planning we report the results of a total unduplicated reach and frequency analysis as a means of identifying an efficacious portfolio of interventions. Accordingly, the study provides useful insights for waterway managers seeking to improve the allocation of resources and generate the most efficient amenity outcomes.

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“…Water resource management is recognized globally as challenging, especially when governance regimes are not cooperative or collaborative, and most notably in the context of urban waterways that have ecological importance and are also sources of human welfare (Naustdalslid 2015;Chikozho and Mapedza 2017;Cooper et al 2017;Muneepeerakul and Anderies 2017;Schweizer 2017;Kattel et al 2020). Managers of the Rideau Canal (and other D r a f t 12 Ontario waterways) are tasked with water management, navigation, and the maintenance of aging infrastructure, with development and construction on a mix of private and public properties.…”

Section: Current Governance and Managementmentioning

confidence: 99%

Historical, contemporary, and future perspectives on a coupled social–ecological system in a changing world: Canada’s historic Rideau Canal

et al. 2022

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Anthropogenic waterways and canal systems have been part of the cultural and natural landscape for thousands for years. As of the late 20th century, more than 63,000-km of canals exist worldwide as transport routes for navigation, many with barriers (e.g., locks, dams) that fragment the system and decrease connectivity. Fragmentation alone can have negative implications for freshwater biodiversity; by isolating populations and communities, other human-mediated disturbances associated with canals like poor water quality and invasive species can exacerbate these negative effects. As such, the capacity of these interconnected freshwater systems to support biodiversity is continuously degrading at a global level. One critical, highly complex issue that unites canals worldwide is the challenge of governing these systems in a holistic, unified way to both protect biodiversity and preserve historical elements. Managing historic canals involves multiple objectives across many agencies and stakeholders, often with different or conflicting objectives. Here, we use the Rideau Canal, a UNESCO World Heritage Site and National Historic Site of Canada, as a case study to demonstrate the importance of considering canals as social-ecological systems for effective and efficient governance. Historic canals are integrated systems of both humans (social) and the environment (ecological), linked by mutual feedbacks and coevolution, and must be managed as such to achieve conservation goals while maintaining commemorative integrity. We discuss the history of the Rideau Canal and its current governance, biodiversity in the waterway, different threats and issues (user conflicts, aquatic pollution, shoreline development, water management, species at risk, and invasive species), and conclude by outlining ways to address the challenges of managing it as a coupled social-ecological system. We present different research needs and opportunities that would enable better management, though above all, we propose a shift from the current governance structure – which at best can be considered “patchwork” – to a coordinated, multi-scalar and multi-stakeholder governance regime such that the Rideau Canal can be maintained for its historical integrity without compromising biodiversity conservation. Given that canals are now pervasive worldwide, this article is not only topical to the Rideau Canal, but also to other waterways in Canada and beyond.

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Pushing the Governance Boundaries: Making Transparent the Role of Water Utilities in Managing Urban Waterways

Cited by 9 publications

References 25 publications

Acoustic methods in physical geography: Applications and future development

Acoustic methods in physical geography: Applications and future development

Managing and Prioritizing Investments in Urban Waterways: Empirical Insights Into the Preferences of the Public and Experts

Historical, contemporary, and future perspectives on a coupled social–ecological system in a changing world: Canada’s historic Rideau Canal

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