Of
the
thesis
entitled:AquaCalifornia:
Water
Infrastructure
in
the
Age
of
Scarcity
Abstract:
Waterscarcity
is
one
of
the
most
prominent
water
issues
worldwide.
Globally,
thereare
multiple
countries
suffering
from
various
degrees
of
drought
and
the
recentCalifornia
drought
is
indisputably
one
of
the
most
critical
examples
ofthewater
shortage
issue.
A
series
of
natural
phenomenon
triggered
by
climatechange
have
caused
depletion
in
the
regional
freshwater
supply.
This
lack
offreshwater
has
led
to
the
closure
of
agribusinesses
and
decrease
in
employmentand
food
supplies.
Water
shortage
is
not
just
an
environmental
crisis
but
alsoaffects
economic,
political
and
social
systems
on
multiple
levels,
and
thegolden
state
that
once
represented
the
American
dream
now
suffers
severely
fromits
worst
drought
in
1200
years.
The
situation
inCalifornia
is
not
merely
a
result
of
climate
instability;
out-dated
waterinfrastructure
systems
and
failure
to
capture
potential
water
resources
arealso
key
contributors
to
the
scarcity.
Due
to
the
state’s
diversemicroclimates,
much
of
California
currently
depends
on
other
parts
of
theregion
for
imported
water
supply.
Under
the
existing
drought,
the
large-scalewater
allocation
systems
are
proven
to
be
unreliable
as
they
further
unbalancewater
stress
at
the
source
and
end-use
locations.
Locally,
there
is
also
a
lackof
public
interest
and
effective
water
infrastructures
to
facilitate
thecapture
of
stormwater
and
recycling
of
wastewater.
Many
parts
of
Californiafail
tocapitalize
these
potential
water
savings
and
simply
direct
them
intodisposal
systems.
This
contamination
and
waste
of
runoff
represented
a
valuablebut
missed
opportunity
to
offset
the
drought
impacts.
The
goal
of
thisthesis
is
to
develop
a
series
of
decentralized
water
systems
that
focuses
oncapitalizing
alternative,
localized
water
resources
in
Californian
cities,
and
couldbe
simultaneously
expanded
as
spaces
for
additionalprograms
in
urban
areas.The
speculative
design
would
not
only
serve
as
a
prototype
for
future
urbandevelopments
and
encourage
planners
and
builders
to
rethink
the
urban
fabric
aspart
of
the
larger
hydrological
system.
It
helpsreinvent
water
infrastructuresto
better
facilitate
urban
life
and
actively
engage
the
public
in
order
tocreate
a
paradigm
shift
in
the
water
consumption
culture.
As
dry
conditions
become
the
“new-normal”
of
the
American
West,
designers
must
renegotiate
the
relationshipbetween
the
urban
fabric
and
its
water
infrastructure.
Through
the
assessmentand
redesign
of
the
current
water
network,AquaCalifornia
proposes
a
new
directionof
water
infrastructure
development
that
helps
construct
a
potent
and
reliablewater
future
in
California.
The examining committee is as follows:
Supervisor:
Lola Sheppard,University of ݮƵ
CommitteeMembers:
MonaEl-Khafif, University of Virginia
Ila Berman, University of Virginia
External Reader:
FadiMasoud, University of Toronto
The
committee
has
been
approved
as
authorized
by
the
Graduate
Studies
Committee.
The
Defence
Examination
will
take
place:
Monday
April
10,
2017
11:00
AM
ARC
2026
A
copy
of
the
thesis
is
available
for
perusal
in
ARC
2106A.