Associate Professor Rebekah Brown

Associate Professor Rebekah Brown

» Current Research

» Teaching

» Research students

» Publications

» Staff

 

Research Interests:

Rebekah's current research projects focus on multiple aspects of urban water management, from institutional development and organisational change through to the governance of decentralised urban water systems and the use of alternative water sources by water management organisations. Much of her research draws on both qualitative and quantitative approaches often employing the multiple-case study design method. Details on her projects and PhD student topics are listed on the National Urban Water Governance Program website available at www.urbanwatergovernance.com

Rebekah’s most recent publications focus on:

1) socio-technical transition processes relating to adaptive governance and organisational leadership, 2) operational frameworks for institutional capacity building at different levels of environmental governance, and 3) processes and methods for interdisciplinary data collection and analysis.

This year Rebekah is a Keynote Speaker at the 6th International Water Sensitive Urban Design Conference (Perth, May 2009), the Singapore International Water Week: Water Convention (Singapore, June 2009), and the Stormwater09 Conference (Albury, July 2009).  Rebekah is an Editorial Board Member of the International Urban Water Journal, and Engineering Sustainability (Journal of the UK Institution of Civil Engineers).

Current Postgraduate Student Research

Rebekah is interested in supervising students that apply the latest transitions thinking from socio-technical studies to the question of how to advance more water sensitive cities (see www.watersentiviefutures.org).

2.1 Peter Morison Management of Urban Stormwater (PhD)

In this project, Peter Morison is examining the design and implementation of intergovernmental urban stormwater management programs that are primarily focused on enabling organisational change at the local government level. This is important research given the prevailing complexity of responsibilities for stormwater management in Australia and internationally.

PhD Candidate Peter Morison peter.morison@arts.monash.edu.au

Related Publications

• Morison, P.J. (2007). Managing urban stormwater: Across the catchment and between the cubicles. 5th South Pacific Stormwater Conference, 16-18 May 2007, Auckland, NZWWA. For conference info go to: www.nzwwa.org.nz/indexstormwater.html
• Morison, P. and Brown, R (2007). Cooperate or coerce? Intergovernmental approaches to mainstreaming Water Sensitive Urban Design. Proceedings of the 13th International Rainwater Catchment Systems Conference and the 5th International Water Sensitive Urban Design Conference, 21-23 August, 2007, Sydney, Australia. For conference info go to: www.rainwater2007.com/

Research Partners Melbourne Water Corporation

2.2 Susan van de Meene Innovating an Institutional Capacity Assessment Framework for Advancing Sustainable Urban Water Governance (PhD)

Drawing on theories of sustainable governance, institutional development and organisational change, in this project Susan van de Meene focuses on the development of an Institutional Capacity Assessment Framework. The framework will be a policy tool to evaluate the ability of the whole institution, from individuals through to organisations and the legislative and policy instruments used to undertake sustainable urban water management. It is expected that this framework will inform the design and implementation of various capacity building efforts for advancing sustainable urban water management in Melbourne and other locations.

PhD Candidate Susan van de Meene susan.vandemeene@arts.monash.edu.au

Related Publications

• Van de Meene, S. and Brown, R. (2007). Towards an Institutional Capacity Assessment Framework for Sustainable Urban Water Management Institutions.Proceedings of the 13th International Rainwater Catchment Systems Conference and the 5th International Water Sensitive Urban Design Conference , 21-23 August, 2007, Sydney, Australia. For conference info go to: www.rainwater2007.com/
• Van de Meene, S. (2008) Institutional Capacity Attributes of Sustainable Urban Water Management: the Case of Sydney, Australia. Proceedings of the 11th International Conference on Urban Drainage, Edinburgh, Scotland, 31st August - 5th September 2008.

Research Partners The Victorian Government through the Department of Sustainability and Environment as part of the Our Water Our Future Initiative.

2.3 Andre Taylor Sustainable Urban Water Management: The Champion Phenomenon (PhD)

André Taylor is undertaking a research project on the leadership dimensions of sustainable urban water management. Specifically, he is using leadership-related research techniques to investigate emergent leaders (‘champions’) who operate as change agents in Australian water agencies to accelerate the adoption of sustainable urban water management. He is also using knowledge about these leaders and the leadership process to develop practical guidance on ways to build leadership capacity within urban water agencies.

PhD Candidate André Taylor andretaylor@iprimus.com.au

Related Publications

Taylor, A. (2007). Sustainable urban water management champions: What do we know about them? Proceedings of the 13th International Rainwater Catchment Systems Conference and the 5th International Water Sensitive Urban Design Conference, 21-23 August, 2007, Sydney, Australia.

• Taylor, A. (2008). Leadership in Sustainable Urban Water Management: An Investigation of the Champion Phenomenon within Australian Water Agencies. Report No. 08/01, National Urban Water Governance Program, Monash University, August 2008, ISBN: 978-0-9804298-5-5.
• Taylor, A. (2008). Promoting sustainable practices: The importance of building leadership capacity. Proceedings of the Enviro 08 Conference, 5-7 May, 2008, Melbourne, Australia.
• Taylor, A. (2008). Ten attributes of emergent leaders who promote sustainable urban water management. Proceedings of the 11th International Conference on Urban Drainage, 31st August - 5th September, 2008, Edinburgh, Scotland.

Research Partners The NSW Environmental Trust (part of the NSW Urban Sustainability Program) and core funding partners to the National Urban Water Governance Program

2.4 Annette Bos Developing Effective Urban Water Governance (PhD)

Annette Bos is undertaking a social research project in which the outcomes, benefits and limitations of a locally-based, multi-disciplinary, participatory approach to integrated, sustainable urban water management are assessed and evaluated. The research project takes place in the context of the Cooks River Sustainability Initiative involving eight local government councils collectively working to address sustainable urban water management in the Cooks River Catchment in Sydney.

PhD Candidate Annette Bos Annette.Bos@arts.monash.edu.au

Research Partners Marrickville Council and the NSW Environmental Trust

2.5 Yvette Bettini – Topic title TEXT NEEDED

PhD Candidate Yvette Bettini Yvette.Bettini@arts.monash.edu.au Research Partners Department of Water, Government of Western Australia

Completed Postgraduate Student Research

3.1 Lara Werbelof (2008) Community Responses to Water Conservation Measures in Melbourne and Perth (Honours)

Through this project, Lara Weberloff will explore the concept of sustainable urban water management by comparing the different institutional approaches to water scarcity that have been implemented in Melbourne and Perth.  The project will focus on water restrictions and desalination as key institutional responses and explore whether the introduction of desalination will undermine the positive behaviour change that the restrictions have achieved in terms of water conservation.  Additionally, this research will explore the social and political context that resulted in initially differing responses to drought within Melbourne and Perth and the current preference for desalination as a solution to water scarcity in both cities.

Honours Candidate Lara Weberloff lwer1@student.monash.edu

3.2 Jeroen Rijke (2007) Mainstreaming innovations in urban water management: Case Studies in Melbourne and the Netherlands (Masters)

Jeroen Rijke undertook his Masters research within the scope of a co-operative research project between the Water Resources Section at Delft University of Technology in the Netherlands and the National Urban Water Governance Program. The objectives of his research were: (1) to compare sustainable urban water management practice in new urban developments in Australia and the Netherlands; (2) to analyse and compare enabling conditions and obstacles for realizing sustainable urban water management in practice; (3) to make recommendations for realising more sustainable water management practices by improving the urban development process of building projects in both the Netherlands and Australia; (4) to make recommendations in order to realize an accelerated transition process towards more sustainable water management practices by improving the urban development process in both the Netherlands and Australia.

Masters Graduate Jeroen Jijke

Related Publications

• J.S. Rijke, J. S., De Graaf, R. E., Van de Ven,  F.H.M., Brown,  R.R., and Biron, D.J. (submitted).  Comparative case studies towards mainstreaming water sensitive urban design in Australia and the Netherlands. Paper Submitted to the 11th International Conference on Urban Drainage, Edinburgh, Scotland, 31st August - 5th September 2008

3.3  Richard Roberts (2007) Alternative Water Source Technology Adoption in Melbourne (Honours)

This honours research project looked at the theory of technology diffusion, and the barriers and incentives for the implementation of alternative water sources in Melbourne, specifically focussing on technologies.

Honours Graduate Richard Roberts

Related Publications

• Roberts, R. and Brown, R. (2007). Alternative Water Sources: The keys to unlocking the inhibitors of innovation and diffusion in metropolitan Melbourne.Proceedings of the 13th International Rainwater Catchment Systems Conference and the 5th International Water Sensitive Urban Design Conference , 21-23 August, 2007, Sydney, Australia. For conference info go to: www.rainwater2007.com/

3.4  Jodi Clarke (2006) Understanding the Factors that Influence Domestic Water Consumption in Melbourne (Honours)

This project contributed to enhancing knowledge of attitudes and community receptivity to alternative water-use practices in the domestic context, through a case study analysis of the City of Bayside, Melbourne. An anonymous household mail-out survey tested residential receptivity to rainwater, greywater and seawater for a range of household activities and investigated barriers to the adoption of household-based water reuse technologies. While the community was quite receptive overall to alternative water sources (with receptivity generally decreasing as personal contact with the water increased), the research revealed a number of key challenges (including cost, difficulty and renter status) to the adoption of water reuse technologies.

Honours Graduate Jodi Clarke

Related Publications

• Clarke, J. and Brown, R. (2006). Understanding the factors that influence domestic water consumption within Melbourne, Australian Journal of Water Resources , 10 (3), 261-268.
• Clarke, J.M. and Brown, R.R. (2006). Understanding the Factors that Influence Domestic Water Consumption within Melbourne.In:Deletic, A. and Fletcher, T. (eds) Proceedings of the 4th International Conference on Water Sensitive Urban Design and the 7th International Conference on Urban Drainage Modelling, 3-7 April 2006, Melbourne. For more information or to order a copy of the proceeding, see: www.wsud.org/seminar.htm

3.5 Megan Coppock (2006) Advancing Sustainable Water Futures for Melbourne: Analysis of Expert Opinion on Structural and Non-Structural Approaches (Honours)

This social research project investigated industry leader perspectives and decision values in relation to promoting management techniques to address sustainable water supply issues across urban regions. The results reveal that, within the Melbourne context, industry leaders would not promote non-structural solutions without the primary support of a structural solution, largely due to lack of certainty about social receptivity. This evidence suggests that without social research directed at quantifying both the uncertainties and outcomes of non-structural solutions, it is unlikely that industry leaders will be in a position to effectively promote and resource their implementation as an independent initiative.

Honours Graduate Megan Coppock

Related Publications

• Coppock, M.H. and Brown, R.R. (2006). Advancing Sustainable Water Futures for Melbourne: Analysis of Expert Opinion on Structural and Non-structural Approaches.In:Deletic, A. and Fletcher, T. (eds) Proceedings of the 4th International Conference on Water Sensitive Urban Design and the 7th International Conference on Urban Drainage Modelling, 3-7 April 2006, Melbourne. For more information and to order a copy of the proceeding, see: www.wsud.org/seminar.htm
• Coppock, M. and Brown, R. (2007). Advancing Sustainable Water Futures for Melbourne: Analysis of Expert Opinion on Structural and Non-Structural Approaches, Water Practice and Technology 2(2).

Current Teaching

• ENV4020 Perspectives on environment and sustainability - This is a core unit for the Masters of Corporate and Environmental Sustainability Program and for more information see: http://www.arts.monash.edu.au/ges/pgrad/mcesm.php
• GES3260/ENV4260 Cultural Landscape, Environment and Sustainability in Italy  - This is a 10-day field-based unit in Cinque Terre on the Italian Riviera and for more information see: http://www.arts.monash.edu.au/ges/news-and-events/pdf/ctpromotion2007.pdf

Publications (since 2005).

Book Chapters

• Brown, R.R. (2008). ‘Social and Institutional Considerations’, In Fletcher, T.D. and Deletic, A. (eds), Data Requirements for Integrated Urban Water Management, Taylor & Francis, London, Chapter 11, pp 159-169.
• Brown, R.R. (2008).  ‘Social and Institutional Components’. In Fletcher, T.D. and Deletic, A. (eds), Data Requirements for Integrated Urban Water Management, Taylor & Francis, London, Chapter 22, pp 281-299.
• Brown, R.R, Taylor A., and Mouritz, M. (2006). Institutional Capacity and Policy, In Wong, T. (ed), Australian Runoff Quality: A Guide to Water Sensitive Urban Design, Engineers Australia, Canberra, Chapter 5, pp 5:1-5:20.

Journal Articles

• Taylor, A., Cocklin, C., and Brown, R. (submitted).The Champion Phenomenon: The Relevance of Transformational, Distributed and Complexity Leadership Theories. The Leadership Quarterly.
• Keath, N. and Brown, R. (in press). Extreme Events: Being Prepared for the Pitfalls with Progressing Sustainable Urban Water Management, Water Science and Technology.
• Wong, T., and Brown, R. (in press). The Water Sensitive City: Principles for Practice, Water Science and Technology.
• Morison, P. J. and Brown, R. R. (in press). Avoiding the presumptive policy errors of intergovernmental environmental programs: a case analysis of urban stormwater management. Journal of Environmental Planning and Management.
• Van de Meene, S., and Brown, R.R. (in press). Delving into the 'Institutional Black Box': Revealing the Attributes of Future Sustainable Urban Water Management Regimes.  Journal of the American Water Resources Association.
• Van de Meene, S., and Brown, R. (in press).Towards An Institutional Capacity Assessment Framework for Sustainable Urban Water Management, Water Science and Technology.
• Brown R. R. and Farrelly M. A. (2009). Delivering Sustainable Urban Water Management: a review of the hurdles we face. Water Science and Technology. 59(5): 839-846.
• Brown, R., Keath, N. and Wong, T. (2009).  Urban Water Management in Cities: Historical, Current and Future Regimes, Water Science and Technology. 59:5, 847-855
• Brown, R. R. and Farrelly, M. A. (2009). Challenges ahead - social and institutional factors influencing sustainable urban stormwater management in Australia. Water Science and Technology.  59:4, pp 653-660.
• Brown, R. R., Farrelly, M. A. and Keath, N. (2009). Practitioner Perceptions of Social and Institutional Barriers to Advancing a Diverse Water Source Approach in Australia. International Journal of Water Resources Development. 25(1):15-28.
• Brown, R.R. (2008).Local Institutional Development and Organisational Change for Advancing Sustainable Urban Water Futures, Environmental Management. 41:221-223
• Brown, R.R and Keath, N. (2008) Drawing on Social Theory for Transitioning to Sustainable Urban Water Management: Turning the Institutional Super-tanker, Australian Journal of Water Resources, 12:2.
• Roy A.E., Wenger S.J., Fletcher T.D., Walsh C.J., Ladson A.R., Shuster W.D., Thurston H.W., Brown R.R. (2008). Impediments and solutions to sustainable, watershed-scale urban stormwater management: lessons from Australia and the United States. Environmental Management, 42:2.
• Coppock, M. and Brown, R. (2007). Advancing sustainable water futures for Melbourne: analysis of expert opinion on structural and non-structural approaches, Water Practice and Technology. 2(2), 0054 (online).
• Brown, R. and Davies, P. (2007). Understanding Community Receptivity to Water Re-use: Ku-ring-gai Council Case Study, Water Science and Technology, 55(4), 283-290.
• Brown, R., Sharp, E. and Ashley, R. (2006). Implementation Impediments to Institutionalising the Practice of Sustainable Urban Water Management, Water Science and Technology, 54:6-7, 415-422.
• Clarke, J. and Brown, R. (2006). Understanding the factors that influence domestic water consumption within Melbourne, Australian Journal of Water Resources. 10 (3), 261-268.
• Brown, R. (2005). Impediments to Urban Stormwater Management: The Need for Institutional Reform, Environmental Management, 36(3), 455-468.
• Rauch, W., Seggelke, K., Brown, R., and Krebs, P. (2005). Integrated Approaches to Urban Storm Drainage: Where do we stand? Environmental Management, 35(4), 396-409.

Refereed Conference Papers

• Brown, R., Keath, N. and Wong, T. (2008).  Transitioning to Water Sensitive Cities: Historical, Current and Future Transition States, In Ashley, R.M. (ed) Proceedings of the 11th International Conference on Urban Drainage, Edinburgh, Scotland, 31st August - 5th September 2008, CD-ROM.
• Brown, R and Farrelly, M. (2008).  Sustainable Urban Stormwater Management in Australia: Professional Perceptions on Institutional Drivers and Barriers, In Ashley, R.M. (ed) Proceedings of the 11th International Conference on Urban Drainage, Edinburgh, Scotland, 31st August - 5th September 2008, CD-ROM.
• Farrelly, M. and Brown, R. (2008).  Professional Perceptions on Institutional Drivers and Barriers to Advancing Diverse Water Options in Australia, In Ashley, R.M. (ed) Proceedings of the 11th International Conference on Urban Drainage, Edinburgh, Scotland, 31st August - 5th September 2008, CD-ROM.
• Keath, N. and Brown, R. (2008).  Are Extreme Events a Crisis or Catalyst for Sustainable Urban Water Management? The Case of two Australian Cities, In Ashley, R.M. (ed) Proceedings of the 11th International Conference on Urban Drainage, Edinburgh, Scotland, 31st August - 5th September 2008, CD-ROM.
• Rijke, J. S., De Graaf, R. E., Van de Ven,  F.H.M., Brown,  R.R., and Biron, D.J. (2008).  Comparative case studies towards mainstreaming water sensitive urban design in Australia and the Netherlands.In Ashley, R.M. (ed) Proceedings of the 11th International Conference on Urban Drainage, Edinburgh, Scotland, 31st August - 5th September 2008, CD-ROM.
• Wong, T., and Brown, R. (2008). Transitioning to Water Sensitive Cities: Ensuring Resilience through a new Hydro-Social Contract, In Ashley, R.M. (Ed) Proceedings of the 11th International Conference on Urban Drainage, Edinburgh, Scotland, 31st August - 5th September 2008, CD-ROM.
• Brown, R., and Keath, N. (2007). Turning the Supertanker: Drawing on Social Theory to Enable the Transition to Sustainable Urban Water Management, In Coombes, P (ed) Proceedings of the 13th International Rainwater Catchment Systems Conference and the 5th International Water Sensitive Urban Design Conference, 21-23 August 2007, Sydney, Australia. CD-ROM
• Brown, R., and Farelly, M. (2007). Institutional impediments to advancing sustainable urban water management: a typology, In Coombes, P (ed) Proceedings of the 13th International Rainwater Catchment Systems Conference and the 5th International Water Sensitive Urban Design Conference, 21-23 August 2007, Sydney, Australia. CD-ROM.
• Morison, P. and Brown, R. (2007). Cooperate or coerce? Intergovernmental approaches to mainstreaming Water Sensitive Urban Design, In Coombes, P (ed) Proceedings of the 5th International Conference on Water Sensitive Urban Design and the 8th International Conference on Urban Drainage Modelling, 21-23 August 2007, Sydney, Australia. CD-ROM.
• Roberts R, and Brown R. (2007).Alternative Water Sources: The keys to unlocking the inhibitors of innovation and diffusion in metropolitan Melbourne, In Coombes, P (ed) Proceedings of the 13th International Rainwater Catchment Systems Conference and the 5th International Water Sensitive Urban Design Conference, 21-23 August 2007, Sydney, Australia. CD-ROM.
• Van de Meene, S., and Brown, R. (2007).Towards An Institutional Capacity Assessment Framework For Sustainable Urban Water Management, In Coombes, P (ed) Proceedings of the 5th International Conference on Water Sensitive Urban Design and the 7th International Conference on Urban Drainage Modelling, 21-23 August 2007, Sydney, Australia. CD-ROM.
• Thomas, F., Orton, J., and Brown R. (2007). Sub-Catchment Planning in Marrickville: The Urban Stormwater Integrated Management (USWIM) Project, In Coombes, P (ed) Proceedings of the 5th International Conference on Water Sensitive Urban Design and the 7th International Conference on Urban Drainage Modelling, 21-23 August 2007, Sydney, Australia. CD-ROM.
• Brown, R. and Clarke, J. (2007). The transition towards Water Sensitive Urban Design: a socio-technical analysis of Melbourne, Australia, Proceedings of the 7th International Conference NOVATECH 2007, 25-27 June, Lyon, France, ISBN 2-9509337-7-7-7, V(1):349-356.
• Brown, R. and Davies, P. (2006). Understanding Community Receptivity to Water Re-use: Ku-ring-gai Council Case Study, In Deletic, A. and Fletcher, T. (eds) Proceedings of the 4th International Conference on Water Sensitive Urban Design and the 7th International Conference on Urban Drainage Modelling, 3-7 April 2006, Melbourne, ISBN 0-646-45903-1, V(1):119-126.
• Clarke, J. and Brown, R. (2006). Understanding the factors that influence domestic water consumption within Melbourne, In Deletic, A. and Fletcher, T. (eds) Proceedings of the 4th International Conference on Water Sensitive Urban Design and the 7th International Conference on Urban Drainage Modelling, 3-7 April 2006, Melbourne, ISBN 0-646-45903-1, V(1):143-150.
• Coppock, M. and Brown, R. (2006). Advancing sustainable water futures for Melbourne: analysis of expert opinion on structural and non-structural approaches, In Deletic, A. and Fletcher, T. (eds) Proceedings of the 4th International Conference on Water Sensitive Urban Design and the 7th International Conference on Urban Drainage Modelling, 3-7 April 2006, Melbourne, ISBN 0-646-45903-1, V(1):151-158.
• Brown, R. (2005). Facilitating Local Organisational Development for Advancing Sustainable Urban Water Futures, In: Eriksson, E., Genc-Fuhrman, H., Vollertsen, J., Ledin, A., Hvitved-Jacobsen, T. & Mikkelsen, P. S. (eds.): Proceedings of the 10th International Congress on Urban Drainage; 21-26 August 2005, Copenhagen, Denmark, CD-ROM, Institute of Environment & Resources, Technical University of Denmark & Section of Environmental Engineering, Aalborg University, Kgs. Lyngby. ISBN 1843395746.
• Brown, R., Sharp, E. and Ashley, R. (2005). Keynote Paper - Implementation Impediments to Institutionalising the Practice of Sustainable Urban Water Management, In: Eriksson, E., Genc-Fuhrman, H., Vollertsen, J., Ledin, A., Hvitved-Jacobsen, T. & Mikkelsen, P. S. (eds.): Proceedings of the 10th International Congress on Urban Drainage; 21-26 August 2005, Copenhagen, Denmark, CD-ROM, Institute of Environment & Resources, Technical University of Denmark & Section of Environmental Engineering, Aalborg University, Kgs. Lyngby. ISBN 1843395746.
• Brown, R. (2004). Keynote Paper – Local Institutional Development and Organisational Change for Advancing Sustainable Urban Water Futures, In Middlemis, H. (ed) Proceedings of the 3rd International Conference on Water Sensitive Urban Design: Cities as Catchments, 21-25 November 2004, Adelaide, Australia. available at: http://www.wsud.org/literature.

Other Publications

• Wong, T, Brown, R and Deletic, A. (2008). Water Management in a Water Sensitive City, Water, November 2008, pp 52-68.
• Deletic, A, Fletcher, T, Brown, R., Hatt, B., and Wong T. (2008). Advancing Stormwater Biofilters, Water, November 2008, pp 35-39.
• Brown, R.R., Farrelly, M.A, Keath N. (2007). Summary Report: Perceptions of Institutional Drivers and Barriers to Advancing Sustainable Water Management, Report No. 07/06, National Urban Water Governance Program, Monash University, December 2007, ISBN: 978-0-9804298-2-4.
• Brown, R.R. and Farrelly, M.A. (2007). Advancing the Adoption of Diverse Water Supplies in Australia: A Survey of Stakeholder Perceptions of Institutional Drivers and Barriers, Report No. 07/05, National Urban Water Governance Program, Monash University, September 2007, ISBN 978-0-9804298-1-7.
• Brown, R.R and Farrelly, M.A. (2007). Advancing Urban Stormwater Quality Management in Australia: A Survey of Stakeholder Perceptions of Institutional Drivers and Barriers, Report No. 07/04, National Urban Water Governance Program, Monash University, September 2007, ISBN 978-0-9804298-0-0.
• Brown, R.R. and Clarke, J.M. (2007). The Transition Towards Water Sensitive Urban Design: The Story of Melbourne, Australia, Report No. 07/01, Facility for Advancing Water Biofiltration, Monash University, June 2007, ISBN 978-0-98030428-0-2.
• Brown, R. (2006). Conference Synopsis, Proceedings of the Water and Sustainable Development: Tools for Change Conference, 3rd May 2005, Melbourne, Initiative of the  Melbourne water businesses, available at: http://www.clearwater.asn.au/

Research Projects

The National Urban Water Governance Program comprises a number of closely related and complimentary research projects, across Australia and overseas, aimed at advancing Water Sensitive Cities.

The program also hosts an active postgraduate research community, supporting a number of PhD, Masters and Honours student projects. Higher degree scholars are encouraged to undertake research that will have direct and tangible benefits to the urban water sector.

1. Current NUWGP Research  

Comparative Study of Urban Water Governance in AustraliaThis research project aims to test the significance of different institutional arrangements and other factors in terms of how they constrain and/or enable progress towards Water Sensitive Cities. The project involves an in-depth and comparative analysis across Brisbane, Melbourne and Perth.

These three cities were selected as case studies because they are underpinned by differing urban water governance structures and bio-physical systems, while having similar drivers for re-examining and reforming their water management options in response to contemporary sustainability challenges (drought, waterway degradation, increasing populations and climate change).

The research draws from a number of social science theories to better understand and explain:

• the transition factors required to move from 'traditional' to 'new' more sustainable forms of urban water governance;
• the barriers creating institutional inertia to further change; and
• how to improve institutional capacity and organisational change.

Research partners Australian Research Council, Victorian Water Trust, Municipal Association of Victoria, Smart Water Fund (established and operated by Melbourne Water, City West Water, South East Water, Yarra Valley Water and the Department of Sustainability and Environment), Western Australian Planning Commission, Department of Water, Water Corporation, City of Armadale, Brisbane City Council, South East Queensland Healthy Waterways Partnership and Maroochy Shire Council, International Water Centre, DOW Chemical Company

Advancing Policy and Organisational Receptivity to Water Sensitive Urban Design

This interdisciplinary research project brings together researchers from three Monash University Faculties: Arts, Engineering and Science. The research is focused on advancing the adoption of Water Sensitive Urban Design (WSUD) principles in practice, through improving knowledge of the design and operation of water biofiltration systems. In partnership with the Facility for Advancing Water Biofiltration (FAWB), the NUWGP team has conducted socio-technical and historical research on how the policy context over the last forty years has influenced the uptake and implementation of WSUD for urban stormwater quality improvement. Further Information at: www.monash.edu.au/fawb/

FAWB Research Partners EDAW, Melbourne Water, The Adelaide and Mt Lofty Ranges Natural Resources Management Board, Landcom, VicRoads, Manningham City Council and Brisbane City Council

Advancing Policy and Organisational Receptivity to Diverse Water Sources

This research project examines the critical socio-institutional and technical factors that influence the use/supply of diverse water sources by Victorian urban water agencies. This knowledge will be used to develop enabling frameworks, with strategic plans for each of the critical factors, for these organisations to implement the Victorian Government’s White Paper Our Water Our Future.

Research Partners Victorian State Government's Victorian Water Trust

Community Sustainable Water Planning

This research project involves trialling a deliberative and local community planning process for sustainable water management. The trial includes different communities across eight municipalities within the Cooks River Catchment in Sydney. The project aims to gain insight into alternative planning approaches often advocated in theory but rarely put into practice. Deliberative planning processes focus on in-depth involvement of the community for the identification of local water issues, and the subsequent co-design and co-management of solutions.

Research Partners Marrickville Council

Dutch-Australian Sustainable Urban Water Futures

The NUWGP, in partnership with the Living with Water Program at Delft University of Technology in the Netherlands, is undertaking research that aims to compare sustainable urban water management practices across Australia and the Netherlands. The focus is on understanding how to build resilience, at the socio-institutional and technical levels, to the effects of climate change in urban environments. By contrasting local priorities against global phenomena, the research partnership aims to identify the common factors most likely to advance progress towards Water Sensitive Cities.

Research Partners Delft University of Technology, Netherlands