The Relationship between Policy, Program, and Implementation in Sustainable Urban Water Management

Abstract

This thesis examines the relationship between policies, programs, and implementation in facing today's urban water issues. Our current way of life has resulted in separation of the built environment from the nature and the degradation of natural processes. In addition, climate change phenomenon adversely affects local water cycles. In order to ensure our continuous existence on this planet we have to rethink our approach toward urban water. I have investigated how pioneering cities are addressing their current urban water issues by sustainably managing their surface waters and bringing back the natural balance to local hydrological systems. I also have exploited their strong and weak points. After that, I have categorized urban water issues based on the source of creation, extracted some common connections and disconnections (gaps) between policies, programs, and implementations. Moreover, I have discussed the role of these gaps in the efficiency of municipalities' approaches. This is followed by a framework to fill out these gaps between policies, programs, and implementation. Finally, I have applied the proposed framework to the city of Minneapolis.