On Prerequisites for the Application of Sustainable Development Indicators in Urban Water Management 英文参考文献.docVIP

Sustainability 2010, 2, 92-116; doi:10.3390/su2010092 OPEN ACCESS sustainability ISSN 2071-1050 /journal/sustainability Article On Prerequisites for the Application of Sustainable Development Indicators in Urban Water Management Ulrika Palme Department of Energy and Environment: Environmental Systems Analysis, Chalmers University of Technology, SE-412 96 G?teborg, Sweden; E-Mail: ulrika.palme@chalmers.se; Tel.: +46-31-772-8607; Fax: +46-31-772-2122. Received: 7 December 2009 / Accepted: 29 December 2009 / Published: 5 January 2010 Abstract: Semi-structured interviews with 47 key actors were conducted in Swedish water utilities on why Sustainable Development Indicators (SDIs) are or are not used. Important influencing aspects identified included organizational inertia, social capital, the national water sector and authorities. Divergent views of SD and indicators appear to hinder SDI initiatives. Possible explanations are that: (a) not all actors look at decision-making as the kind of rational process the focus on indicators implies, and (b), Swedish urban water systems are widely regarded as sustainable. The water sector itself and regulation are identified as the strongest potential drivers for increased use of SDIs. Keywords: sustainable development indicators; urban water systems; decision-making; field studies 1. Introduction Over the past 15–20 years, sustainable development (SD) has become a generally acknowledged, though distant and elusive, goal for all levels of society to strive towards. Interim targets, exemplified by the United Nations Millennium Development Goals [1] are often used to make the objectives specific and concrete. Furthermore, to monitor and assess progress towards the targets and help steer development in the desired direction, sustainable development indicators (SDIs) have been developed for use at many different levels: internationally, for example, in the United