Of
the
thesis
entitled:ÌýFrom
Mountain
toÌýMaleh:
Water
as
an
Agent
of
Negotiation
in
theÌýKidronÌýValley
/
Wadi
an-NarÌý
Abstract:
In
a
site
with
significantly
fractured
political,
social,
and
environmentalÌýgovernance,
it
comes
as
no
surprise
that
the
West
Bank’s
water
network
isÌýfraught
with
issues.
Over-pumping
of
groundwater,
inadequate
sewage
treatment,ÌýandÌýcontamination
of
surface
and
groundwater
are
by-products
of
theÌýIsraeli-Palestinian
conflict.
The
West
Bank’s
Mountain
Aquifer
system
generatesÌýmore
than
a
third
of
Israel’s
yearly
water
intake
(600-700
million
cubicÌýmetres)
but
isÌýbeing
heavily
pumped,ÌýÌýsupplying
significantly
more
water
to
Israelis
than
Palestinians.
AÌýrecharge
area
of
4700
square
kilometres
allows
polluted
wastewater
from
overÌýtwo
million
Israeli
and
Palestinian
inhabitants
of
the
West
BankÌýand
JerusalemÌýarea
to
enter
groundwater.ÌýÌýOver
time,Ìýlevels
of
nitrate
and
micro-biological
contaminants
from
inadequate
sewageÌýtreatment,
dumping,
and
agricultural
runoff
have
increased,
compromising
futureÌýdrinking
water
qualityÌýfrom
springs
and
wells.
Ìý
One
valleyÌýin
particular,
Nahal
Kidron/Wadi
an-Nar,
receives
a
significant
amount
ofÌýpollution.
It
is
one
of
the
only
cross-border
streams
between
Israel
and
theÌýPalestinian
West
Bank
to
not
have
an
environmental
remediation
plan
inÌýplace.ÌýFramed
within
the
parameters
of
the
current
Israeli-Palestinian
conflict,Ìýresearch
on
the
impact
of
unmitigated
surface
and
groundwater
pollution,
asÌýwell
as
social
inequity
between
communities
in
the
Kidron/Wadi
an-Nar,
hasÌýinspired
this
thesis‘s
design
of
architecture
and
landscape
treatmentÌýstewarding
environmental
and
social
agency.Ìý
Ìý
The
thesisÌýfirst
examines
the
existing
context
of
the
water
network
and
politicalÌýboundaries
of
the
Kidron/Wadi
an-Nar.
Cultural
history
and
urban
theory
informÌýthe
analysis
of
the
site,
further
explaining
how
water
and
land
areÌýspatiallyÌýnegotiated
and
governed
in
a
state
of
conflict.
Finally,
this
thesis
proposesÌýarchitecture
and
landscape
interventions
at
three
locations
along
theÌýKidron/Wadi
an-Nar.
These
installations
operate
at
varying
scales,
from
a
smallÌýcommunity
park
to
large
landscape
installations,
in
order
to
serve
asÌýinterfaces
for
independent
water
sourcing,
distribution,
and
treatment
outsideÌýof
the
existing
de
facto
West
Bank
water
infrastructure
network.
TheseÌýinstallations
doÌýnot
propose
a
solution,
however
desperately
needed,
to
the
long-heldÌýconflict
in
the
region,
but
instead
set
up
a
series
of
architecture
andÌýlandscape
interventions
which
shape
how
the
sites
would
be
managed
in
theÌýfuture.
Ìý
This
thesis
draws
methodologicalÌýinspiration
from
existing
EcoPeace
Ecoparks;
design
inspiration
from
the
AravaÌýInstitute’s
sewage
disposal
units
for
rural
Palestinian
towns,
as
well
as
fromÌýpreventative
planting;
and
anÌýimplementation
structure
from
the
existing
KidronÌýAction
Plan
steering
committee,
as
well
as
the
Arava
Institute's
Centre
forÌýTransboundary
Water
Management.
These
groups
and
projects
harness
respectiveÌýcommunities‘
agency
overÌýwater
within
their
broader
watershed.
The examining committee is as follows:
Supervisor:
Lola Sheppard,ÌýUniversity of À¶Ý®ÊÓƵ
Committee Members:
Rick Andrighetti, University of À¶Ý®ÊÓƵ
Suzy Harris-BrandtsÌýÌý
External Reader:Ìý
FadiÌýMasoud,
University
of
Toronto
Ìý
The
committee
has
been
approved
as
authorized
by
the
Graduate
Studies
Committee.
The
Defence
Examination
will
take
place:
Ìý
Monday
April
10,
2017Ìý
Ìý
Ìý
Ìý
Ìý
Ìý
Ìý
ÌýÌý
9:00
AMÌýÌýÌý
Ìý
Ìý
Ìý
Ìý
Ìý
Ìý
ARC
2003
A
copy
of
the
thesis
is
available
for
perusal
in
ARC
2106A.