Through the water glass darkly: global cities as problematic exemplars in the sustainability discourse

Urban water management practices are standardized through narratives informed primarily by the experiences of global cities. While these cities have resources and influence, their persistent economic and environmental challenges point to epistemic faults in technocratic policymaking. Therefore, it is prudent to critically evaluate global cities as sustainability exemplars. This article discusses problematic power dynamics in the global standardization of water practices and technologies, and applies a critical-theoretical perspective to the techno-optimism defining the sustainability discourse. The practical analysis outlines implications for urban water managers balancing contradictory political mandates, and considers scenarios in the relationship between global cities and resource hinterlands.