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Watertime: improving the quality of urban life through sustainable decision-making on city water system reform

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Making decisions for urban water systems

Decisions made by administrators can have a major impact on the quality of people's lives. Good practice recommendations (GPRs) enable them make the right choices regarding the water systems in urban environments.

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The WATERTIME project developed an analytical framework containing data on 29 cities. This included information concerning those factors which have affected the decision-making process. A series of 44 GPRs was developed. The aim was to improve the quantity and quality of information available to all stakeholders. The GPRs employed a number of different parameters. These included the different stages of the decision-making process, information pertaining to past events and possible threats in the future. The GPRs could be used as a separate set of recommendations or as part of the decision support tool, the WATERTIME Participatory decision support system. This was created to aid the public decision-making process regarding the public water supply. The intention of the WATERTIME model was to ensure a transparent process and the participation of the public. It allowed managers to develop within projects through setting their own criteria and accessing the necessary information and documentation. The decision support tool also supplied a series of tools for facilitating a public discussion of the project.

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