The SWITCH transition manual : managing water for the city of the future

This manual is a guide to implementing the  Sustainable Water Improves Tomorrow's Cities Health (SWITCH) Transition Framework. It presents the key activities that should be considered when trying to influence a change, or transition, to the way that urban water systems are managed so they better fit a more sustainable future. The manual is intended for national and local decision makers such as city mayors and members of parliament. It will also be of great assistance to urban water practitioners and decision makers in the urban water sector including local government, urban planners and water utilities. Transitions are usually long term processes that occur due to the co-evolution of several societal, economic (market-driven) and technological processes. The SWITCH transition framework is not
meant to be a deterministic tool which could be used to predict the course of a transition. This is not possible when there are so many fundamental uncertainties surrounding, not just transitioning, but the
concept of sustainability. This manual is a guide to the underlying driving forces and mechanisms behind the processes and actions that may influence a change. [authors abstract]