Sustainability transitions offer opportunities to rethink and improve society, such as by improving well-being, reducing inequalities and reconnecting with nature. Yet, mainstream political narratives focus on the short-term costs of sustainability transitions and fail to highlight environmental measures that consider people’s social and cultural realities. This article discusses the shortcomings of current narratives of sustainability transitions in France and explores alternative approaches. Drawing on water heritage and local values can help shape narratives that resonate with people in their context, and allow them to take a long-term view. The lake and city of Annecy is an interesting example of how water heritage and local values can be used to shape appealing narratives in support of sustainability transitions.

Methodologies that draw on heritage and local values can stimulate new ideas and actions to make sustainability transitions more locally grounded and inspiring. The value case approach is one such methodology that was applied to the lake and city of Annecy, in France, during a course on water systems design. The author describes the steps of the value case and discusses how heritage and local values served as a compass to develop a vision and to propose actions toward an inspiring future.

Blue Papers aims to inspire new approaches to water, culture, heritage and sustainable development. We believe historical and historiographical analysis can help shift the discourse from strategies focused on short-term gains to long-term approaches that consider both historical dynamics and the potential consequences of future developments. An analytical focus on water – its materiality and flows – can help shift the discourse from disconnected, monodisciplinary approaches to spatial, social and cultural analysis, connecting multiple scales, diverse stakeholders and local characteristics over time.