Subsídios para integração da gestão das águas com a gestão urbana: desenvolvimento de um modelo conceitual para a conexão de mecanismos e instrumentos de gestão

Abstract

Water resources management, the integration of policies, and urban sustainability are challenges of a great complexity, and also strategic to Brazil. For equating alternatives and solutions to urban management in a sustainable manner an integrated approach must be taken, in which water resources has a very important role in many aspects. In this context, the present work presents a conceptual model which was conceived to aid the connection between mechanisms and management tools in support to the integration of the Brazilian Urban and Water Resources Policies. The work consisted of the following three main parts: theoretical fundaments, development and assessment of the conceptual model. And it takes Marinato (2008)’ study of the interrelationship between groups of management tools of the two policies as the research starting point. The 5W1H planning method was adapted with the objective of structuring and systematising compiled information resulting from the analysis of each management tool of the two policies. In order to allow the correlation between mechanisms and tools of management, some elements of legal character were added to the analysis. Then, it was possible to build-up a graphical representation of the interconnection of the urban and water resources management systems, with the aim of integrating their management tools according to similarity of objectives, and, consequently, allowing some spatial, temporal and institutional aspects of the integration of the two policies to be visualised by the proposed integrated management cycle diagrams. The developed conceptual model can be taken as a communication tool, which will be helpful in either advising or calling the attention of urban and water resources managers, among others, for the various possibilities of integrating the two policies, via their management tools, throughout the phases of the management processes. Yet, with respect to the policies integration process, it has also a great potential to facilitate the learning of the associated complexity, to offer multiple analyses with varied approaches, and to promote more effective/efficient intra and inter-institutional articulations.