Policy Brief Series: Mechanisms for Nexusing

This policy brief series aims to explore and advance the concept of nexusing—integrating
policies, institutions, and practices across sectors to achieve more sustainable and resilient outcomes. The “Mechanisms for Nexusing” policy brief series provides a critical resource for those seeking to navigate the complexities of integrated governance. By examining the mechanisms that facilitate cross-sector collaboration, it offers practical pathways for enhancing resilience in urban settings like Cape Town and beyond.
As global challenges become more interconnected, with manifest locally intersecting impacts, the need for a nexus approach has never been more urgent. The insights and recommendations presented in this series can help inform approaches that move beyond sectoral silos, fostering a more sustainable and resilient future for all. The lessons drawn from Cape Town’s experiences are valuable for municipalities throughout South Africa and the global South, where similar challenges and governance dynamics necessitate integrated, forward-thinking solutions.

The series outlines several mechanisms and provides high-level recommendations for implementing nexus:
• Partnering for Nexus – How to support transversal collaboration
• Legal Mechanisms for Coordination – Identifying existing capacity within South African law
• Urban Data – A tool for integrated resource governance in food-water-energy nexus
• Financial considerations – Exploring interconnections to finance the water- energy-food nexus
• Crisis as a Catalyst – Learning from and leveraging disruption to better inform integrated urban planning View the policy briefsas nexus tool