Issues of governance in water resource management and spatial planning

This paper describes governance arrangements in regional spatial planning and water resources management at the regional level from a normative point of view. It discusses the need to integrate spatial planning and resources management in order to deliver socially sustainable integral territorial management. To accomplish this, the Metropolitan Area of São Paulo (MASP) was analysed as a case study, in order to demonstrate the challenges met by public administrators and planners regarding the integration of water management and spatial planning in a highly complex urbanized regional setting. Our main observations relate to the increasing adoption and integration of multilevel-networked governance principles in water resources management. Strategies include devolution, cross-sectoral integration and public participation, which are likely to improve the governance of water resources management. However, although these strategies have achieved some degree of success, they are not yet fully integrated in all levels of water resources management and are only poorly integrated in regional spatial planning levels. The lack of coordination of policy making and implementation across sectors and across territories is a critical factor limiting the effectiveness of water management at the regional level in São Paulo