Enabling transformations to sustainability

This chapter provides a chronological and thematic account of the work led by the India team, reflecting on the lessons these experiences bring to sustainability transformations and some of the concepts covered in the earlier chapters. It first describes the challenge – sustainable water management in Gurgaon/Gurugram. The chapter describes the theoretical conceptualisation of this challenge and the approaches used to address it. These include a variety of methods such as citizen science and real-world experimentation, embedded within a wide process of engagement between researchers, civil society and non-governmental organisations, public administration and industry. The chapter describes the key moments in the transformation laboratory (T-Lab) process and the lessons that were learnt as a result, highlighting the development of ‘collective practical understanding’ and the importance of ‘social carriers of technology’ and a ‘networked system of solution implementation’. The chapter provides a detailed analysis of the ways in which different actors engaged in the Gurgaon Water Forum – a multi-stakeholder platform that emerged from the project, and the challenges and contributions that the overall process made to future pathways.