The Institute’s Research Areas:
Water and Social-Ecological Planning

about the research area I staff members I Projects I Presentation I Downloads

Since its founding the Institute has worked in this area on identifying the requirements and possibilities for a new, sustainable water policy and on working out empirically grounded concepts for such a policy. The general conditions, restrictions and (un)intended consequences of such concepts are continously being examined. These studies are based on the development of methods and concepts for an interdisciplinary integration of the natural and social sciences within water research.

The central points of a "new" water policy can be sketched as follows:

A new water policy should

• lead to the participation of the parties involved and with this to a change in existing water policy institutions as well as to a development of differentiated regionally sustainable problem solving strategies.
• encourage the preservation of the potentials within ecosystems and their long-term development capacity.
• interact with social-ecological transformations of the water infrastructure;
• contain specific forms of regulation for water infrastructures and a sustainable envi-ronmental planning.

Configuring existing or alternative water systems often requires coming to terms with tasks arising from the interaction of housing development with patterns of land use and processes of regional (spatial) embedding. By the various spatial use requirements of society, water here can take on the role of an intermediary within a sustainable environ-mental planning. This research area is closely tied in with international endeavours to develop instruments for an integrated water resource management (IWRM).

Social-empirical questions in connection with water-related situations of crisis or conflict are further topics in the research area. Currently, the emphasis is on the follo-wing subjects:

• the role of subjective risk perception in the emergence of critical situations in the water supply systems;
• the development of social indicators describing the adaptability and the vulnerability of societies with regard to changes in water balances and water systems;
• studies on the concept of virtual water trade as a management instrument in the con-text of water shortage and food safety

This research area is responsible for preparing interdisciplinary studies and advising various actors within the area of water policy. The inclusion of transnational and global aspects is being further extended in the process.

Panel Discussion A Thirsty Blue Planet: Water Poverty – Climate Change – Time for a Blue Revolution, with Fred Pearce, Mary Seely and Thomas Kluge at 20th June 2007 in Frankfurt Main... More
flyer as pdf-file (401 kb)

Researchers

		Thomas Kluge (Head of Research Area)
		Jörg Felmeden
		Stefan Liehr
		Alexandra Lux
		Petra Moser
		Steffen Niemann
		Engelbert Schramm
		Heike Wanke

Projects (Selection)

		Transformation Management for a Sustainable Water Infrastructure
		Integrated Water Resources Management in northern Namibia Cuvelai-Basin (CuveWaters)
		start – Management Strategies for Pharmaceuticals in Drinking Water
		Sustainability Performance in the Water Supply
		Water 2050
		Virtual Water Trade Expert Workshop. 3.-4. Juli 2006. Frankfurt am Main (2006)
		netWORKS - Transformations in Network Related Infrastructure Sectors (2006)
		Integrated Water Resources Management in Esfahan: Exploratory Study Zayandeh Rud River Basin (2005)
		Integrated Water Resources Management in Northern Namibia (2005)
		Project Exploratory Study Privatisation of the Water Industry (2001)
		Privatisation and Competition in Drinking Water Supply in Germany (2001)
		... former projects

Presentations

Integrated Water Quality Management – Development of a Social-Ecological Approach Presentation given by Stefan Liehr at the German Research Foundation DFG. The lecture is ready for download under: abstract - lecture

Urban Infrastructure in Transition: What Can We Learn from History? On the occasion of the 6th International Summer Academy on Technological Studies Engelbert Schramm gave a review on the privatisation of German urban water infrastructure in the 19th and 21st century. His presentation is available for download:
http://www.isoe.de/ftp/ESDlandsberg.pdf

Den Haag Foresight-Workshop on European Rivers At the workshop "Present Needs Future Options – Foresight Transnational Watermanagement and –policies" Stefan Liehr presentated "Two Transnational Water Issues – Mobile Substances and Wastewater Systems". The presentation points out the two water issues which have particular importance for transnational foresight processes. The slides and the concept paper can be downloaded under:
http://www.isoe.de/ftp/tagungen/SL_DenHaag04_Slides.pdf
http://www.isoe.de/ftp/tagungen/SL_DenHaag04_conceptpaper.pdf

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