The organizational structures and institutional environment in which they operate are essential in the management of urban water resources. One of the most promising forms of such structures are information and technology platforms that ensure the functional unity of the structures and environment of the ecosystem. The effectiveness of IT- platforms largely depends on the state of the institutional environment: on the one hand, it is not easy to achieve sustainable IT-platforms, on the other hand, success in achieving the desired sustainability can lead to a state of institutional trap, when both the environment is stable and management is efficient, but the increase in water scarcity and deterioration of its quality remains. The study focuses on the need to explore management and technological aspects, based on the economy of solidarity, into a single institutional complex, i.e. the transition to intelligent water management systems. Such management systems, with extensive use of technological innovations and digital technologies, are being introduced, including within the framework of the spatial development of the Russian Federation and in the development of the strategy of socio-economic development of the country and regions.