Pathways for Melbourne's Transition to a Water Sensitive City

This paper provides reflection on how the adaptation and application of the transition management
approach for the urban water context in Melbourne, Australia, led to the identification of a range of
transition pathways in response to the starting conditions of different municipalities, as well as future
uncertainties. Challenging trends such as urban growth, densification and increasing population, as well as
climate change and variability, are putting pressure on urban water systems around the world. In
addition, growing community demand for urban amenity and green space has raised new expectations of
how water systems should serve society. These challenges are gaining wide recognition in Melbourne and
there is increasing acceptance by policy makers of the need for its urban water system to undergo a
transition towards more sustainable and integrated management, conceptualised as a water sensitive
city. The paper reports on the outcomes of how a participatory process, based on the transition
management approach, helped key water sector actors in Melbourne formulate a transition agenda and
identify possible transition pathways towards a water sensitive city. The transition management approach
was adapted to incorporate a consideration of uncertainties in landscape drivers, using context scenarios,
and future shocks and stresses in order to build resilience in the transition pathways. The adapted process
was implemented at a regional scale, in which seven municipalities with varying levels of experience and
performance in relation to sustainable water management participated.