Traditional Water Systems Informing Sustainable Contemporary Drylands Design: Documentation, Extraction, and Deployment

Yuliang Jiang () and Hadley Arnold
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Yuliang Jiang: Landscape Justice Initiative, School of Architecture, University of Southern California, 850 Bloom Walk, Los Angeles, CA 90089, USA
Hadley Arnold: Arid Lands Institute, 525 South Hewitt Street, Los Angeles, CA 90013, USA

Sustainability, 2023, vol. 15, issue 14, 1-20

Abstract: Climate change has become a pressing issue in cities around the globe, especially those in dry regions. Despite these cities’ cultural vitality, water shortages are among the central problems impacting society. The aim of this study was to recapture, record, and rethink the world’s traditional water systems with two objectives. The first objective was to scrutinize the mechanics, social functions, and spatial organization of these systems. The second objective was to develop novel adaptations of these old technologies for new discourses and apply them to the water-stressed urban landscapes of Los Angeles. The intent was to build a greater capacity for resilient landscape and infrastructure design in a post-carbon world by constructing a more robust lexicon of pre-carbon drylands design. Notable similarities surfaced among the systems despite their distinct cultural backgrounds and historical origins, indicating commonalities across the evolution of water infrastructure in human history. The output of this study established the basis for a systematic drylands atlas as a resource for research-informed design of the built environment. The outcomes make fundamental water-centric climate change adaptation strategies accessible through visual communication techniques for professional practices and pedagogic purposes.

Keywords: landscape architecture; climate change; research-by-design; atlas; social practices; resilience; adaptation; indigenous knowledge; infrastructure (search for similar items in EconPapers)
JEL-codes: O13 Q Q0 Q2 Q3 Q5 Q56 (search for similar items in EconPapers)
Date: 2023
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