Institutional perspectives on participation and information in water management

Integrated urban water management - a framework to understand, control, and optimize elements of the urban water infrastructure as an integrated system - is inherently complex. It becomes more complex and challenging, however, when public participation in management institutions is considered. This paper applies a systems perspective to explore institutional arrangements for participation. Our goal is to conceptually organize this complexity and provide starting points for systematic examination of participation in urban water management. The discussion highlights two rationales for engagement with external parties: (1) building support and legitimacy for integrated urban water management; and (2) enabling transformation in the management system. The general institutional framework is then illustrated by a case study of participation and transformation toward more integrated management in the metropolitan area of Atlanta, Georgia.