Author(s)

M. A. Rijsberman & F. H. M. van de Ven

Abstract

Urban water planning: working with subjectivity M. A. ~ijsberman'~~ & F. H. M. van de en'.^ ' ~ e l f t University of Technology, Water Mgmnt. Dept., The Netherlands 2~luriforma BV, The Netherlands 31nstitute for Inland Water Management and Waste Water Treatment (RIZA), The Netherlands Abstract Urban water resource (UWR) systems are essential to urban life. However, today's UWR systems appear not to be sustainable, as these often have unacceptable negative effects on water quantity and quality. On the other hand, the potential contribution to the quality of the urban environment is high. The question of finding sustainable balance between social, economic and ecological aspects precedes the question of how sustainable UWR systems can be designed and constructed. But weighing these aspects of intended sustainability appears to be a partially subjective process. In (Dutch) UWR management practice, this subjectivity is not widely recognised: the intractability of sustainable water management is

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