Water

In a city where urban water infrastructure ranges from "insufficient" to "nonexistent," Lagos entrepreneurs have developed a bustling trade in "sachet water." Is it time to focus more attention on regulating the sachet industry?

August 10, 2012 - Sustainable Cities Collective

California's Governor Jerry Brown unveils his administration's new plan in hopes of finally balancing the state's competing water interests. The cost? $14 billion over a decade.

July 29, 2012 - The New York Times

Steven Erie, a professor of political science and the Director of the Urban Studies Program at UC San Diego, discusses how the San Diego County Water Authority's finger-pointing obfuscates the region's discourse on what is really driving water rates.

May 4, 2012 - The Planning Report

Anna Leidreiter explores the ecological principles underlying Oakland's dramatically successful waste reduction program, and echoes the refrain that modern cities must think about consumption and waste in cyclical terms.

April 26, 2012 - The Global Urbanist

Allegations of conspiracy and bullying haunt access to water in the arid, Mediterranean climate of San Diego, Adam Nagourney and Felicity Barringer report.

April 25, 2012 - The New York Times

Renée Jones-Bos, Ambassador of the Netherlands to the United States, spoke about water, infrastructure, planning, ports, and cost-benefit analysis as the closing keynote speaker at the 2012 APA National Convention in Los Angeles.

April 19, 2012 - The Planning Report

With a $600 billion investment gap facing the tap, citizens, organizations, and elected officials call for a renewed commitment to protect access to safe drinking water on World Water Day at Los Angeles City Hall.

April 2, 2012 - USC Annenberg Radio News

Nate Berg examines the nexus between water use and energy use, and the need to bring this frequently overlooked connection to the attention of planners and designers.

March 28, 2012 - The Atlantic Cities

Jeff Kightlinger of the Metropolitan Water District and Phil Isenberg of the Delta Stewardship Council illustrate the state of California's water delivery system today. As population grows and infrastructure ages, an onerous task lies ahead.

March 3, 2012 - The Planning Report

Water has played a starring part in the development of Los Angeles (for exhibit A, see the film Chinatown). Christine MacDonald explores how water may take a star turn once again, in its demise.

February 26, 2012 - The Atlantic Cities

Created in 2003, a pact between rural Imperial Valley to provide water to San Diego has become mired in litigation due to its potential effects on the Salton Sea. But just nixing the deal isn't so easy, as Tony Perry reports.

October 30, 2011 - Los Angeles Times

Congressional support for transportation and infrastructure projects has traditionally been bipartisan. In an interview, Rep. Earl Blumenauer of Oregon discusses how political tantrums in Congress may handicap the US in the long run.

October 10, 2011 - The Planning Report

For decades, water utilities in Georgia have had a certain amount of water go missing - up to 30% of their supply, in some cases. With water becoming more precious, utilities are finally trying to solve the mystery.

September 27, 2011 - The Macon Telegraph

Texas is getting dryer and dryer--and the costs to implement water delivery projects only go up as localities and regions scramble to secure the bulk of the funds necessary to build them. Ramit Plushnick-Masti reports.

September 24, 2011 - NPR

Much of the inefficiency surrounding our use and misuse of water derive from entrenched habits formed during previous eras of presumed inexhaustibility of water supplies.  Our wastewater treatment approach has traditionally relied on an infrastructure of centralized municipal water plants where tertiary effluent is recycled.  These plants consume considerable energy and cost to restore all of the water they process.  

August 26, 2011 - Rick Abelson

In Kern County, Calif., trendy fruits like pomegranate are at the center of a number of contentious lawsuits over water resource management.

July 29, 2011 - The New York Times

From Florida to Arizona, 14 states are in the midst of a major drought. The effects have been far-reaching and devastating to both the environment and economy.

July 20, 2011 - The New York Times

By focusing on reducing water use to levels that could be served by its two water sources, the city of El Paso, Texas, has been able to quench its thirst without running dry.

June 28, 2011 - Guardian

This Kickstarter campaign is hoping to raise money to build a floating pool in the waters around New York City that use and filter river water to provide a public swimming facility.

June 18, 2011 - Kickstarter

A local firm is leading an effort in New Orleans to manage the city's water more like the Dutch.

June 10, 2011 - Architectural Record