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A significant proportion of construction and demolition (C&D) waste is encompassed within the broader category of global waste. The handling of C&D waste is subject to the influence of a tripartite of environmental, social, and economic factors. An extensive comprehension of C&D waste management can be attained by examining the construction industry, waste management, transportation, and non-governmental organisations (NGOs). The escalating aggregate demand and landfill practices significantly threaten developing nations' natural resources, despite the national government's regulatory measures. The present study employed a qualitative research approach and a multi-level perspective (MLP) framework to investigate the various actors, factors, and levels that impact the management of C&D waste. The present analysis relates independently to investigating lock-in determinants, encompassing exogenous and endogenous pressures and socio-technical transitions. Bengaluru's management of C&D waste encompasses a diverse array of stakeholders, including real estate organizations, urban development agencies, construction firms, both formal and informal markets, a solitary C&D processing plant situated at the periphery of the city, unapproved landfills located in abandoned stone quarries, local transportation providers, governance bodies, and low-carbon building methodologies. Furthermore, it is imperative to note that there exist significant deficiencies in the execution of C&D waste management by established protocols, as well as their enforcement. This is compounded by an acute shortage of facilities for the collection and disposal of such waste, insufficient vehicular resources at the disposal of the Bruhat Bengaluru Mahanagara Palike (BBMP), limited participation from stakeholders, negative attitudes towards the effective use of recycled materials and the repurposing of building components, a lack of incentivisation and punitive measures, inadequate awareness among proprietors and constructors of private edifices, and the indiscriminate dumping of C&D waste, which has led to the obstruction of commuting and communal well being. The effects of landfills on wildlife, such as avian migration and urban inundation, have prompted a transition towards more ecologically sound management of C&D waste in Bengaluru. Formulating sustainable strategies for managing C&D waste in Bengaluru is encouraged to incorporate socio-economic and environmental factors, business models, and governmental cooperation. The importance of sharing information, the power of nudging people to alter their habits, and the value of considering new approaches to building are also highlighted.

Never before have humans wielded a greater ability to alter and disrupt planetary processes. Our impact is becoming so noticeable that a new geological epoch has been proposed – the Anthropocene – in which Earth systems might no longer maintain the stable and predictable conditions of the past 12 millennia. This is particularly evident in the rapid expansion of urban areas, where a majority of humans now live and where environmental changes such as rising temperatures and habitat loss are happening faster than elsewhere.  In light of this, questions have been raised about what a more responsible relationship between humans and the rest of the planet might look like. Scholars in sustainability science employ the concept of ‘stewardship’ in searching for an answer; however, with multiple different applications and definitions, there is a need to better understand what stewardship is or what novelty it might add to sustainability research. This thesis investigates stewardship empirically through two case studies of civic engagement for protecting nature in cities – Bengaluru, India and New York City, USA. Further, the thesis also proposes a conceptual framework for how to understand stewardship as a relation between humans and the rest of nature, based on three dimensions: care, knowledge and agency. This investigation into stewardship in the urban context uses a social–ecological systems approach to guide the use of mixed theory and methods from social and natural sciences. The thesis is organized in five papers. Paper I reviews defining challenges in managing urban social–ecological systems and proposes that these can more effectively be addressed by collaborative networks where public, civic, other actors contribute unique skills and abilities. Paper II and Paper III study water resource governance in Bengaluru, a city that has become dependent on external sources while its own water bodies become degraded and depleted.Paper II analyzes how locally based ‘lake groups’ are able to affect change through co-management arrangements, reversing decades of centralization and neglect of lakes’ role in Bengaluru’s water supply.Paper III uses social–ecological network analysis to analyze how patterns in lake groups’ engagements and collaborations show better fit with ecological connectivity of lakes.Paper IV employs sense of place methods to explore how personal bonds to a site shapes motivation and goals in waterfront stewardship in New York City. Finally,Paper V reviews literature on stewardship and proposes a conceptual framework to understand and relate different uses and underlying epistemological approaches in the field. In summary, this thesis presents an empirically grounded contribution to how stewardship can be understood as a human–nature relation emergent from a deep sense ofcare and responsibility, knowledge and learning about how to understand social–ecological dynamics, and theagency and skills needed to influence these dynamics in a way that benefits a greater community of humans as others. Here, the care dimension is particularly important as an underappreciated aspect of social–ecological relations, and asset for addressing spatial and temporal misalignment between management institutions and ecosystem. This thesis shows that care for nature does not erode just because green spaces are degraded by human activities – which may be crucial for promoting stewardship in the Anthropocene. / <p>At the time of the doctoral defense, the following papers were unpublished and had a status as follows: Paper 3: Manuscript. Paper 4: Manuscript. Paper 5: Manuscript.</p>