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Success factors for implementing decentralised urban water management solutions–a systematic comparison of lighthouse initiatives in the US, Europe and India

Schelbert, Vasco ; Miorner, Johan LU orcid ; Lüthi, Christoph ; Afghani, Nof ; Mitra, Anant ; Lesch, Djamila LU and Binz, Christian LU (2026) In International Journal of Urban Sustainable Development 18(1). p.174-197
Abstract

A key challenge in developing sustainable cities is establishing circular infrastructure systems. Decentralised urban water management solutions (DUWMS) are a case in point: Innovative DUWMS that allow recycling the water, heat, energy, or nutrients contained in wastewater locally are currently emerging in cities around the world. These systems could significantly enhance cities’ water resilience and sustainability. Yet, well-documented templates and best practices for implementation at scale remain scarce. Using a qualitative approach combining a literature review with 125 expert interviews, we systematically compared five DUWMS at building vs. neighbourhood scales and in high- vs. middle-income contexts. This structured... (More)

A key challenge in developing sustainable cities is establishing circular infrastructure systems. Decentralised urban water management solutions (DUWMS) are a case in point: Innovative DUWMS that allow recycling the water, heat, energy, or nutrients contained in wastewater locally are currently emerging in cities around the world. These systems could significantly enhance cities’ water resilience and sustainability. Yet, well-documented templates and best practices for implementation at scale remain scarce. Using a qualitative approach combining a literature review with 125 expert interviews, we systematically compared five DUWMS at building vs. neighbourhood scales and in high- vs. middle-income contexts. This structured cross-comparison distils six systemic factors enabling successful implementation and scaling.

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Please use this url to cite or link to this publication:
author
; ; ; ; ; and
organization
publishing date
type
Contribution to journal
publication status
published
subject
keywords
climate-resilient infrastructure, comparative case study, Decentralised urban water management, implementation and scaling, lighthouse initiatives, resource recovery, wastewater reuse
in
International Journal of Urban Sustainable Development
volume
18
issue
1
pages
24 pages
publisher
Taylor & Francis
external identifiers
  • scopus:105039840105
ISSN
1946-3138
DOI
10.1080/19463138.2026.2667142
language
English
LU publication?
yes
additional info
Publisher Copyright: © 2026 The Author(s). Published by Informa UK Limited, trading as Taylor & Francis Group.
id
616cb803-de5d-4a2b-988b-2647b8873d82
date added to LUP
2026-06-01 06:43:35
date last changed
2026-06-29 08:47:34
@article{616cb803-de5d-4a2b-988b-2647b8873d82,
  abstract     = {{<p>A key challenge in developing sustainable cities is establishing circular infrastructure systems. Decentralised urban water management solutions (DUWMS) are a case in point: Innovative DUWMS that allow recycling the water, heat, energy, or nutrients contained in wastewater locally are currently emerging in cities around the world. These systems could significantly enhance cities’ water resilience and sustainability. Yet, well-documented templates and best practices for implementation at scale remain scarce. Using a qualitative approach combining a literature review with 125 expert interviews, we systematically compared five DUWMS at building vs. neighbourhood scales and in high- vs. middle-income contexts. This structured cross-comparison distils six systemic factors enabling successful implementation and scaling.</p>}},
  author       = {{Schelbert, Vasco and Miorner, Johan and Lüthi, Christoph and Afghani, Nof and Mitra, Anant and Lesch, Djamila and Binz, Christian}},
  issn         = {{1946-3138}},
  keywords     = {{climate-resilient infrastructure; comparative case study; Decentralised urban water management; implementation and scaling; lighthouse initiatives; resource recovery; wastewater reuse}},
  language     = {{eng}},
  number       = {{1}},
  pages        = {{174--197}},
  publisher    = {{Taylor & Francis}},
  series       = {{International Journal of Urban Sustainable Development}},
  title        = {{Success factors for implementing decentralised urban water management solutions–a systematic comparison of lighthouse initiatives in the US, Europe and India}},
  url          = {{http://dx.doi.org/10.1080/19463138.2026.2667142}},
  doi          = {{10.1080/19463138.2026.2667142}},
  volume       = {{18}},
  year         = {{2026}},
}