Design for Values in Water Management

Abstract

In view of current massive water quantity and quality problems as well as shifting social wishes and requirements, the currently dominant water engineering and management approaches need to change. The water domain is indeed the scene of reorientation and transformation, though from a perspective of design for values much remains to be desired. This chapter discusses these matters, investigates present water approaches, and indicates how value considerations have always been implicitly present in such approaches. Three approaches for dealing with water affairs are distinguished: the technical-economic approach, integrated water resources management, and the negotiated approach. In this sequence, value considerations have become increasingly important. In addition to suggesting improvements, we will present a step-by-step plan for a more explicit design for values approach, as the way to move forward in dealing with global water issues.