Bringing people closer to water: integrating water management and urban infrastructure

New stormwater management approaches that integrate water management with urban planning and design increasingly encompass social objectives. However, the principles and concepts upon which they are based do not provide sufficient guidance and analysis on how water is perceived as a sociological factor. The objective of the paper is to develop a Sociological Framework for evaluating and guiding the incorporation of sociological dimensions into water sensitive design programmes and projects, and demonstrate the applicability of the framework through the evaluation of the Bedok Reservoir project under Singapore's ABC Waters Programme. The framework covers the domains of awareness and behaviour, social cohesion, and interactions. The framework can assist researchers and policy-makers in better understanding and integrating sociological dimensions in water sensitive design.