Towards responsible water banking: An exploratory synthesis of Responsible Innovation and Value Sensitive Design for inclusive water management

Water banking offers a transformative solution to freshwater scarcity, but stakeholder involvement is essential for success. Responsible Innovation (RI) and Value Sensitive Design (VSD) include stakeholders in design but both exhibit methodological flaws. This study addressed these limitations by performing an exploratory synthesis of the two approaches within an empirical case in the Dutch Southwestern Delta. First, a systematic literature review produced values inventories for water and water banking; then, a stakeholder workshop used an RI-VSD approach to validate the inventories. The validation highlighted several missing values, such as fit for use and broad prosperity. Stakeholders also emphasised that values are dynamic, influenced by water availability, technology development, and regional specifics such as flood history. Using an RI-VSD approach resulted in a thorough and validated values inventory, contributing to the limited empirical evidence available and forming the basis for inclusive design of a water bank to manage freshwater scarcity.