In the 21^st Century, innovation has become THE buzz word in every policy and management forum, and a main or complementary research topic in almost every discipline. Innovation is the generation of new ideas, services, systems and processes. It is a broad and flexible enough concept that anyone can relate to positively. However, implementing new or innovative approaches in institutional contexts is easier said than done, as people naturally resist change, especially when innovation requires changing behavior.

Innovation is important for sustainability as new ideas foster better solutions and improvements in existing systems. There have already been many technological innovations for sustainability, such as the development of renewable energy technologies. However, achieving sustainable development will also require many social innovations, where communities and institutions find new creative solutions to social and environmental challenges.

In the urban FWE nexus approach, we address food, water and energy resources from a systemic point of view to understand and manage their interrelations, securing access and efficiency in their provision to urban populations. “FOOD” is analyzed within the framework of “food security”, broadly defined by the United Nations´ Food and Agriculture Organization (FAO, 2002) as “[…] a situation that exists when all people, at all times, have physical, social and economic access to sufficient, safe and nutritious food that meets their dietary needs and food preferences for an active and healthy life”. Food as a land resource is usually addressed by research and management from health, nutrition, logistics and even cultural angles. As an interdependent element of the urban nexus system, its multidimensional performance is analyzed by scholarship from different perspectives across disciplines such as sociology, economy, ecology, etc., since the mid-2000s (Zhang et al., 2018). Most modern cities do not produce food within their territories, extending their demand between boundaries in all scales. Food can be imported from neighboring cities and even distant countries, impacting resources elsewhere, increasing distribution costs, carbon and ecological footprints. And while nutrition is an issue that includes contradictory health consequences, such as obesity and stunted growth, food waste continues to be huge, even in developing countries, due to poor management and distribution failure. An integrated approach such as the FWEN could help reduce these consequences.

Water is the source of all life on the Planet. In cities water carries benefits that are usually taken for granted by most people. We only become aware of its importance when we lose access to supply or face shortages. The relationship between water-energy-land resources and their respective policies can be explained briefly. Water policies, for example, are commonly based only on water analysis (elaborated and regulated by a specific agency) and they might have adverse unforeseen effects specially on energy and land resources and the climate. The same happens to energy/land resources, where policies are also based only on analysis of energy/land issues. Since the current policies are based on existing models that usually focus on one resource and ignore interconnections with other resources, better methods and models that consider all the interlinkages among water, energy and land are needed. Thus, a water-energy-food nexus approach that considers both the physical and the economic implications of different policy strategies could be a major opportunity for integrated solutions that respond to the interdependencies of water, energy, food and economic systems (IISD, 2013).

Energy is arguably the main pillar of our civilization and urban lifestyle. It fuels progress, well being and growth. Since our societies have become aware about the massive scale of negative impacts resulting from our fossil fuel-based energy consumption, shifting to renewable and new sources became imperative to protect life on Earth. Examining power generation and consumption in light of the FWEN nexus shows the urgent need for an integrated approach. Assessments of land use, energy and water are often carried out in isolation by disconnected institutions. An institution focusing on water resources, for example, is likely to consider food and energy systems as end users. Similarly, agricultural assessments might see energy and water as resources, and the energy sector is likely to treat biomass (waste) and water (rivers) Energy is arguably the main pilar of our civilization and urban lifestyle. It fuels progress, wellbeing and growth. Since our societies have become aware about the massive scale of negative impacts resulting from our fossil fuel-based energy consumption, shifting to renewable and new sources became an imperative to protect life on Earth. Examining power generation and consumption in light of the FWE nexus shows the urgent need for an integrated approach. Assessments of land use, energy and water are often carried out in isolation by disconnected institutions. An institution focusing on water resources, for example, is likely to consider food and energy systems as end users. Similarly, agricultural assessments might see energy and water as resources, and the energy sector is likely to treat biomass (waste) and water (rivers) as inputs. Thus, promoting renewable energy (allocated or not in urban areas) through the current sector-driven approach, disregarding indirect transboundary impacts on land and water resources and GHG emissions, could counteract the so-desired sustainable development of cities and the fight against climate change.