• Posted on 11 Dec 2023
  • 6-minute read

Representatives from the Australian water sector join forces to plan for a sustainable water future.

Against the backdrop of a rapidly changing world, concerns about future water security, both in terms of water quantity and quality, have implications for national budgets, financial and construction planning, construction, and ultimately, the well-being of both people and the environment. 

Recently, the UTS Institute for Sustainable Futures (ISF) hosted the Water Futures Forum 2023: Preparing Futures Scenarios, Their Representation, and Application’ which looks at visualising the future for effective water planning. 

Making timely decisions and investments is crucial to prevent negative impacts on public health and economic stability. Scenario planning allows various stakeholders to address concerns, explore alternatives, and improve communication about potential futures for urban water.  

The forum brought together practitioners from utilities, government, and academia. Attendees included water professionals from Sydney Water, the NSW Department of Planning and Environment, Urban Utilities, Hunter Water, Water NSW, Central Coast Council, and more.  

Industry experts shared insights on scenario planning and creative ways to visualise the future for effective water planning. The day’s discussions focused on key challenges in the water industry and how foresight methods can help navigate future uncertainties in urban water management. 

The forum highlighted the significance of translating potential water scenarios from a micro scale to a macro level of understanding – ensuring that thinking spans from entire landscapes down to individual homes.  

ISF Senior Research Consultant Rachael Wakefield-Rann explains, “The second key factor is scalability. Connecting visions that might be affecting a city or an entire landscape and ensuring that our thinking goes from that scale down into the home and back out again. So, how you translate things that might happen at a micro-scale up through the meso and to the macro level of understanding of what is happening.”   

Key takeaways included discussions on the role of stakeholders and how to engage with them meaningfully.  

“The key points and themes that emerged from all of our discussions during the day were about the role of stakeholders,” says ISF Senior Research Consultant Varsha Sivagurunathan. “That is, who should be engaged with the process? How do we engage with different stakeholders in a meaningful way to create early good scenarios?” 

The learnings from the Water Futures Forum are expected to benefit water planners and policymakers as they strategically plan for an increasingly uncertain future in the water industry. The collaborative efforts of industry experts, practitioners and policymakers will set the stage for proactive planning and decision-making in the face of evolving challenges in water. 

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Descriptive transcript

[Varsha Sivagurunathan speaking] Scenario planning essentially is about planning for alternative futures, and this is especially helpful in times of increasing uncertainty. In the water sector, we are finding that there are more floods and droughts and other climatic events that are affecting the way we operate. Scenario planning is essentially a tool that we can use to help prepare for those sorts of uncertain events and explore alternative futures.

This forum, titled "Representing Future Scenarios", focused on the presentation and application of scenario planning, and looked at bringing together a range of different stakeholders. We had representatives from the state government, utilities, and academia. They all met, and we had a lot of engaging discussions about scenarios in the water industry. They used their knowledge, insight, and expertise to discuss how to present scenarios, how to represent them, and how to use them, which was really exciting.

Some of the questions that were explored were around what actually makes good scenarios, and what are some challenges that you face when you end up trying to create those good scenarios.

[James Macken speaking] To start with the challenges, it's a complex and messy process. It's designed to be that by nature—meant to be uncomfortable, to push our thinking beyond business as usual. So in that sense, it's not for everyone, and it takes a bit of time to get into the right headspace and to be able to have the discussions needed to think about the future in different ways.

[Rachael Wakefield-Rann speaking] There are many challenges, but I think two are worth emphasising. The first is ensuring adequate participation from the right people. A lot of the time when we develop scenarios, we include people that we think are going to have relevant experience, without capturing the full diversity of people that those kinds of visions or the future planning is going to affect. So, figuring out how to get the right people in the room—people from diverse backgrounds and people who might not be incentivised in any kind of conventional way—which is a huge challenge at the moment and often excludes people who are really time poor. Or, of course, people who don’t speak English as a first language, or may have difficulty with technology, or may not be able to access transport—factors like that.

The second key factor is scalability. Connecting visions that might be affecting a city or an entire landscape, and ensuring that our thinking goes from that scale down into the home and back out again. How you actually translate things that might happen at a micro scale up through the meso and to the macro level of understanding of what's happening.

[Craig Ma speaking] When I think about how we can most effectively use scenarios, there are a few things that might help that process along. The first is something I call bookending. So, depending on the scenario, if you can bookend it with a narrative or a description that is quite tangible and plausible and relatable to others, then that's a really good frame to start with.

The second thing I would add to the mix is if we can at least timestamp the scenario—give it a sense of urgency or give others an ability to understand how much time do we have to better understand what the scenario might mean for them—that is also a very useful tool.

And perhaps the final thing would be if we can more effectively link the scenario back to our risk practices, then that really helps people understand the implications of the type of scenario we're talking about.

[Ann-Marie Rohlfs speaking] Scenarios are used most effectively when they're interactive, when they're brought to life. That might be through making them visual, making them interactive, and having participants come and discuss them.

The forum concluded with a discussion around the future of futuring in the water sector. Some of the key points and themes that emerged from all of our discussions during the day were about the role of stakeholders—who should be involved in the process, and how do we engage with different stakeholders in a meaningful way to create really good scenarios.

The discussions from the day will be useful for policymakers and water planners as we start this journey of planning for uncertain futures in the water industry.

Watch the Water Futures forum 

Preparing futures scenarios, their representation and application

 

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