The role of territorial conflicts in multi-municipal water governance: a case study from Taipei Metropolis

Abstract

ABSTRACT Multi-municipal water governance, with fragmentation and asymmetry among boundaries and institutions caused by water sharing, can give rise to quarrels among governments. Many related cases worldwide suggest integration and bottom-up participation as solutions for fostering multi-municipal collaboration, although existing power imbalances and competing interests continue to motivate conflicts. The research attempts to provide insights on how territorial conflicts can create barriers to multi-municipal integration. The case study considers the headwater of Taipei Metropolis, located in a rural-urban nexus in Taiwan, which is characterised by disconnected territory and authority. Along with democratisation and urbanisation, conflicts in interests between the headwater municipality, New Taipei City, and the capital downstream, Taipei City, have become more significant. By content and discourse analysis using secondary data and semi-structured interviews, the study identifies critical changes leading to the curious status quo and possible reasons for unresolved conflicts. The configuration of a multi-municipal water-sharing region has mediated inner tensions of territorialisation, which have been stimulated by developmental pressures of a growing entity under changing scalar status in the municipal hierarchy. The research indicates that territorial discourses provide legitimacy for municipal interests, while marking a shift from upstream inequity to downstream water sharing. The case study identifies the role of territorial conflicts and stresses the impacts of municipal competition triggered by scale politics, thereby offering an alternative understanding of conflicts in multi-municipal water governance.