| 1. |
- Bagheri, Ali, et al.
(författare)
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A framework for process indicators to monitor for sustainable development: Practice to an urban water system
- 2007
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Ingår i: Environment, Development and Sustainability. - : Springer Science and Business Media LLC. - 1573-2975 .- 1387-585X. ; 9:2, s. 143-161
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Tidskriftsartikel (refereegranskat)abstract
- Although very often used, the concept of sustainable development has not yet been perceived pragmatically. Due to its process nature, in this paper, we argue that sustainable development is a process in which the essential feedback loops, or Viability Loops as we name them, in the system in question are kept healthy and functional. This process deals with evolutionary changes with the end point not known in advance. According to this perception, measurement of sustainable development does not make sense. Rather, we should look for the process indicators to monitor systems for sustainable development. The purpose of the paper is to develop a methodology to deal with monitoring systems for sustainable development and its practice in an urban water system. Using a system dynamics approach, the paper adopts a systemic monitoring framework based on the idea of Viability Loops to define process indicators to monitor systems for sustainable development. To illustrate the application of the framework, its practice in the urban water system of Tehran, the capital of Iran, is provided as an example. The example of the urban water supply system of Tehran is given as a case study, albeit with some unavailable data. Here, four typical viability loops are discussed. The results of this application show that the flows of informative signals are lacking. Adopting the process indicators, we can see the gaps between the public perceptions of water abundance, the costs of water provision and energy utilizations, and what is going on in the reality are getting wider. That indicates that the viability loops are not functional enough to produce effective changes to offset the reinforcing mechanisms. The sustainable development of the system is impaired due to the persistence of those reinforcing mechanisms.
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| 2. |
- Bagheri, Ali, et al.
(författare)
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Monitoring for sustainable development : a systemic framework
- 2005
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Ingår i: International Journal of Sustainable Development. - 0960-1406. ; 8:4, s. 280-301
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Tidskriftsartikel (refereegranskat)abstract
- 'Sustainable development' is a widely used, but less practised, complex term. Using the idea of 'Viability Loops' (VL) based on a System Dynamics (SD) approach and considering sustainability as an ideal for development efforts, this paper argues that sustainable development should be considered as an unending process rather than a state. Thus, a systemic framework is proposed to 'monitor' systems for sustainable development, rather than 'measuring' their sustainability. Then, it is shown that a set of theoretically anticipated VL, in the form of a market-technology balancing mechanism, do not function in practice owing to a lack and/or distortion of information.
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| 3. |
- Bagheri, Ali, et al.
(författare)
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Planning for sustainable development: a paradigm shift towards a process-based approach
- 2007
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Ingår i: Sustainable Development. - : Wiley. - 0968-0802 .- 1099-1719. ; 15:2, s. 83-96
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Tidskriftsartikel (refereegranskat)abstract
- Prevailing approaches of planning and strategy making, which traditionally deal with the states of systems in terms of fixed goals, fail to acknowledge the process nature of sustainable development. Using a system dynamics approach and relying on the concept of viability loops, the paper aims to illustrate a practical implementation of sustainable development with an urban water system as an example. It argues that planning for sustainable development should be 'process-based' - rather than 'fixed-goal'-oriented. Unlike the traditional approaches of strategy making to set fixed goals related to either supply-side and/or demand-side management, it is argued that triggering a social learning process with full involvement of all stakeholders and planners in the process would be the most suitable strategy for sustainable development. To this end, backcasting is recommended as a suitable tool and the process of model building is regarded as a means of learning rather than forecasting. Copyright (c) 2006 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd and ERP Environment.
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| 4. |
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| 5. |
- Hjorth, Peder, et al.
(författare)
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Navigating towards sustainable development: A system dynamics approach
- 2006
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Ingår i: Futures. - : Elsevier BV. - 0016-3287. ; 38:1, s. 74-92
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Tidskriftsartikel (refereegranskat)abstract
- Traditional fragmented and mechanistic science is unable to cope with issues about sustainability, as these are often related to complex, self-organizing systems. In the paper, sustainable development is seen as an unending process defined neither by fixed goals nor by specific means of achieving them. It is argued that, in order to understand the sources of and the solutions to modern problems, linear and mechanistic thinking must give way to non-linear and organic thinking, more commonly referred to as systems thinking. System Dynamics, which operates in a whole-system fashion, is put forward as a powerful methodology to deal with issues of sustainability. Examples of successful applications are given. Any system in which humans are involved is characterized by the following essential system properties: Bounded rationality, limited certainty, limited predictability, indeterminate causality, and evolutionary change. We need to resort to an adaptive approach, where we go through a learning process and modify our decision rules and our mental models of the real world as we go along. This will enable us to improve system performance by setting dynamic improvement goals (moving targets) for it. Finally, it is demonstrated how causal loop diagrams can be used to find the leverage points of a system.
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| 6. |
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| 7. |
- Hjorth, Peder
(författare)
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Towards Sustainable Urban Water and Sanitation Services: Barriers and Bridges
- 2009
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Ingår i: Sustainability. - : MDPI AG. - 2071-1050. ; 1:4, s. 1023-1034
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Tidskriftsartikel (refereegranskat)abstract
- The Mar del Plata International Water Conference provided the first global assessment of the water sector. It was found that in most developing countries the state of water supply and sanitation services were deplorable. Consequently, a call for concerted action to improve coverage and efficiency of the water supply and sanitation sector was launched. This call resulted in the International Water Supply and Sanitation Decade (1981–1990). The Decade provided important lessons concerning effective methodologies to improve the state of the WSS sector. The paper discusses why the poor state of the water supply and sanitation conditions still tend to be the greatest development failure during the 20th century. The recipe for success was there, and the money was there. So, why were governments and big donors like the World Bank refusing to apply the lessons from the Decade? The basic conditions for success are spelled out, and some successful cases are used to illustrate these. The conclusion is that change is possible but that civil society organizations have to be empowered to make governments "feel the heat" and spend more money on water and sanitation, and to spend it more wisely.
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| 8. |
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| 9. |
- Juizo, Dinis, et al.
(författare)
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Application of a district management approach to Southern African river basin systems: the case of the Umbeluzi, Incomati and Maputo river basins
- 2009
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Ingår i: Water Policy. - : IWA Publishing. - 1366-7017 .- 1996-9759. ; 11:6, s. 719-730
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Tidskriftsartikel (refereegranskat)abstract
- In recent years, the 'river basin as a management unit' approach has been adopted as a solution to water management. The situation between Swaziland, Mozambique and South Africa regarding managing the water resources of the Incomati, Maputo, and Umbeluzi shared river basins is an interesting case that might need a different approach. These rivers flow downstream to the Maputo estuary where their waters are needed for urban water supply (Maputo city) and fresh water pulses for the estuary. The Incomati and Umbeluzi are heavily committed upstream while the Maputo appears still to have a relative abundance of untapped water resources. At basin level, the three countries fail to reach a consensus on the best strategies to accommodate multiple demands, particularly in the downstream area. The IncoMaputo agreement that was concluded by the three governments is unique in that it comprises two basins (Maputo and Incomati), allowing a multi-basin approach to the problem. However, the Umbeluzi was left out of the agreement. This paper discusses the possible benefits of a multi-basin approach to water resources for the three rivers discharging into Espirito Santo Estuary in Maputo. Using the provisions set out in the European Union Water Framework Directive (WFD) it is found that the three rivers of this study may well be suitable for implementing the District Water Management approach as proposed in the WFD.
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| 10. |
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