As a result of regional and global warming trends, New Mexico’s climate is getting hotter and dri... more As a result of regional and global warming trends, New Mexico’s climate is getting hotter and drier. According to the Union of Concerned Scientists, climate change will result in “earlier springs, hotter summers, and less predictable winters” in the region.
Elephant Butte Reservoir is an artificial water reservoir located along the Rio Grande. In 2013, the reservoir held only 3 percent of its maximum capacity, the lowest level ever recorded. This drought not only had permanent effects on farming and agriculture, but also exhausted the water supply of entire villages. Magdalena, a village 100 miles north from the reservoir, saw its wells run dry, forcing its residents to rely on bottled water for several weeks.
Experts predict that New Mexico’s drought risk will become ever more acute in the coming decades. With less precipitation and more consecutive dry days, the changing climate will have devastating effects on the multibillion-dollar agricultural sector and the region’s forest ecosystems. Today, various alternatives to make communities more resilient to climate impacts are being discussed.
This feature focuses on water scarcity in the region by examining Elephant Butte Reservoir, its ongoing shrinkage, and the efforts taken at federal, state, and local levels to prepare for the impacts of a hotter and drier climate. – Ane González Lara, Diverse Peoples, Arid Landscapes, and the Built Environment report editor
Water design is treated as a niche process within the realm of landscape architecture. This deval... more Water design is treated as a niche process within the realm of landscape architecture. This devaluing rises from a desire to privilege other aspects of land manipulation and city building. Water has scalar, temporal and spatial aspects which comprise our understanding of the world and defines our relationship to landscape. Design processes considering water as a major factor enrich the subsequent work with meaning while also being environmentally amenable to emerging urban climatic problems.
Chapter 4 in A Political Ecology of Women Water and Global Environmental Change. Stephanie Buechl... more Chapter 4 in A Political Ecology of Women Water and Global Environmental Change. Stephanie Buechler and Anne-Marie Hanson, eds.
Urban water infrastructure delimits invisible spatial boundaries in cities that can neither be comprehended nor questioned by the citizenry served. A feminist political ecology frame and Los Angeles as case study help elucidate how these boundaries are reinforced by cultural norms of water usage that may be discriminatory or outmoded and which strain limited freshwater resources. Connections between feminism, urbanism and water access are drawn, tying together specific cultural mores, modes of transportation and infrastructural systems to identify feminist spaces in the city. Three design methodologies key to developing infrastructural systems are suggested that can occupy these marginalized spaces of the city.
Landscape Architecture has failed to deliver on their promise to create landscapes and places tha... more Landscape Architecture has failed to deliver on their promise to create landscapes and places that are culturally relevant and ecologically appropriate. Whilst this is not a new contention, this disquisition critiques underlying causes, symptoms and potential panaceas. It submits that the processes of landscape architectural design need to transform radically if landscape architecture is to avoid becoming obsolete as a field, discipline and profession and for landscape to fulfill its potential as an agent of change. The necessary and consequential discourse on the future of landscape (architecture) is based on a critical dissection of the following axioms
1. Landscape happens. Landscape architecture is involved in only a very small percentage of the landscape. 2. Landscape is process. Landscape is not a product that can be manufactured. 3. Static modes of representation, during the inception and presentation of landscape projects trigger a static understanding of the realities and processes that make landscapes. 4. Landscape architecture is still relying on conventions of the picturesque, despite assertions to the contrary and to “performance over form”. 5. Landscape Architecture is habitually mired in “programism” and / or “functionalism”, leading to inflexible, limited-purpose landscapes. 6. Landscape Architecture is research-averse. Every design is an experiment. Landscape Architecture needs to continuously and critically test its assumptions, methods and outcomes. 7. Landscape Architecture is risk-averse. The professional tenets of “health, welfare and safety” are at odds with the experimental character of design and lead to outmoded landscapes. 8. Landscape is a direction, not a destination. Landscape Architecture needs to respond to horizons of uncertainty and let go of established “command-and-control” approaches. This redefines the landscape project, not as a product but rather as the ongoing, guided evolution and management of the landscape. 9. Landscape Architecture is discourse-averse. It refuses to situate itself in the scientific, artistic, political and cultural domains and their arguments.
Realizing the much-touted potential of landscape as agency while regaining the social and cultural relevance of landscape architecture requires to engage the issues outlined above.
As a result of regional and global warming trends, New Mexico’s climate is getting hotter and dri... more As a result of regional and global warming trends, New Mexico’s climate is getting hotter and drier. According to the Union of Concerned Scientists, climate change will result in “earlier springs, hotter summers, and less predictable winters” in the region.
Elephant Butte Reservoir is an artificial water reservoir located along the Rio Grande. In 2013, the reservoir held only 3 percent of its maximum capacity, the lowest level ever recorded. This drought not only had permanent effects on farming and agriculture, but also exhausted the water supply of entire villages. Magdalena, a village 100 miles north from the reservoir, saw its wells run dry, forcing its residents to rely on bottled water for several weeks.
Experts predict that New Mexico’s drought risk will become ever more acute in the coming decades. With less precipitation and more consecutive dry days, the changing climate will have devastating effects on the multibillion-dollar agricultural sector and the region’s forest ecosystems. Today, various alternatives to make communities more resilient to climate impacts are being discussed.
This feature focuses on water scarcity in the region by examining Elephant Butte Reservoir, its ongoing shrinkage, and the efforts taken at federal, state, and local levels to prepare for the impacts of a hotter and drier climate. – Ane González Lara, Diverse Peoples, Arid Landscapes, and the Built Environment report editor
Water design is treated as a niche process within the realm of landscape architecture. This deval... more Water design is treated as a niche process within the realm of landscape architecture. This devaluing rises from a desire to privilege other aspects of land manipulation and city building. Water has scalar, temporal and spatial aspects which comprise our understanding of the world and defines our relationship to landscape. Design processes considering water as a major factor enrich the subsequent work with meaning while also being environmentally amenable to emerging urban climatic problems.
Chapter 4 in A Political Ecology of Women Water and Global Environmental Change. Stephanie Buechl... more Chapter 4 in A Political Ecology of Women Water and Global Environmental Change. Stephanie Buechler and Anne-Marie Hanson, eds.
Urban water infrastructure delimits invisible spatial boundaries in cities that can neither be comprehended nor questioned by the citizenry served. A feminist political ecology frame and Los Angeles as case study help elucidate how these boundaries are reinforced by cultural norms of water usage that may be discriminatory or outmoded and which strain limited freshwater resources. Connections between feminism, urbanism and water access are drawn, tying together specific cultural mores, modes of transportation and infrastructural systems to identify feminist spaces in the city. Three design methodologies key to developing infrastructural systems are suggested that can occupy these marginalized spaces of the city.
Landscape Architecture has failed to deliver on their promise to create landscapes and places tha... more Landscape Architecture has failed to deliver on their promise to create landscapes and places that are culturally relevant and ecologically appropriate. Whilst this is not a new contention, this disquisition critiques underlying causes, symptoms and potential panaceas. It submits that the processes of landscape architectural design need to transform radically if landscape architecture is to avoid becoming obsolete as a field, discipline and profession and for landscape to fulfill its potential as an agent of change. The necessary and consequential discourse on the future of landscape (architecture) is based on a critical dissection of the following axioms
1. Landscape happens. Landscape architecture is involved in only a very small percentage of the landscape. 2. Landscape is process. Landscape is not a product that can be manufactured. 3. Static modes of representation, during the inception and presentation of landscape projects trigger a static understanding of the realities and processes that make landscapes. 4. Landscape architecture is still relying on conventions of the picturesque, despite assertions to the contrary and to “performance over form”. 5. Landscape Architecture is habitually mired in “programism” and / or “functionalism”, leading to inflexible, limited-purpose landscapes. 6. Landscape Architecture is research-averse. Every design is an experiment. Landscape Architecture needs to continuously and critically test its assumptions, methods and outcomes. 7. Landscape Architecture is risk-averse. The professional tenets of “health, welfare and safety” are at odds with the experimental character of design and lead to outmoded landscapes. 8. Landscape is a direction, not a destination. Landscape Architecture needs to respond to horizons of uncertainty and let go of established “command-and-control” approaches. This redefines the landscape project, not as a product but rather as the ongoing, guided evolution and management of the landscape. 9. Landscape Architecture is discourse-averse. It refuses to situate itself in the scientific, artistic, political and cultural domains and their arguments.
Realizing the much-touted potential of landscape as agency while regaining the social and cultural relevance of landscape architecture requires to engage the issues outlined above.
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Elephant Butte Reservoir is an artificial water reservoir located along the Rio Grande. In 2013, the reservoir held only 3 percent of its maximum capacity, the lowest level ever recorded. This drought not only had permanent effects on farming and agriculture, but also exhausted the water supply of entire villages. Magdalena, a village 100 miles north from the reservoir, saw its wells run dry, forcing its residents to rely on bottled water for several weeks.
Experts predict that New Mexico’s drought risk will become ever more acute in the coming decades. With less precipitation and more consecutive dry days, the changing climate will have devastating effects on the multibillion-dollar agricultural sector and the region’s forest ecosystems. Today, various alternatives to make communities more resilient to climate impacts are being discussed.
This feature focuses on water scarcity in the region by examining Elephant Butte Reservoir, its ongoing shrinkage, and the efforts taken at federal, state, and local levels to prepare for the impacts of a hotter and drier climate. – Ane González Lara, Diverse Peoples, Arid Landscapes, and the Built Environment report editor
https://archleague.org/article/water-scarcity-elephant-butte-reservoir/
Urban water infrastructure delimits invisible spatial boundaries in cities that can neither be comprehended nor questioned by the citizenry served. A feminist political ecology frame and Los Angeles as case study help elucidate how these boundaries are reinforced by cultural norms of water usage that may be discriminatory or outmoded and which strain limited freshwater resources. Connections between feminism, urbanism and water access are drawn, tying together specific cultural mores, modes of transportation and infrastructural systems to identify feminist spaces in the city. Three design methodologies key to developing infrastructural systems are suggested that can occupy these marginalized spaces of the city.
The necessary and consequential discourse on the future of landscape (architecture) is based on a critical dissection of the following axioms
1. Landscape happens. Landscape architecture is involved in only a very small percentage of the landscape.
2. Landscape is process. Landscape is not a product that can be manufactured.
3. Static modes of representation, during the inception and presentation of landscape projects trigger a static understanding of the realities and processes that make landscapes.
4. Landscape architecture is still relying on conventions of the picturesque, despite assertions to the contrary and to “performance over form”.
5. Landscape Architecture is habitually mired in “programism” and / or “functionalism”, leading to inflexible, limited-purpose landscapes.
6. Landscape Architecture is research-averse. Every design is an experiment. Landscape Architecture needs to continuously and critically test its assumptions, methods and outcomes.
7. Landscape Architecture is risk-averse. The professional tenets of “health, welfare and safety” are at odds with the experimental character of design and lead to outmoded landscapes.
8. Landscape is a direction, not a destination. Landscape Architecture needs to respond to horizons of uncertainty and let go of established “command-and-control” approaches. This redefines the landscape project, not as a product but rather as the ongoing, guided evolution and management of the landscape.
9. Landscape Architecture is discourse-averse. It refuses to situate itself in the scientific, artistic, political and cultural domains and their arguments.
Realizing the much-touted potential of landscape as agency while regaining the social and cultural relevance of landscape architecture requires to engage the issues outlined above.
Elephant Butte Reservoir is an artificial water reservoir located along the Rio Grande. In 2013, the reservoir held only 3 percent of its maximum capacity, the lowest level ever recorded. This drought not only had permanent effects on farming and agriculture, but also exhausted the water supply of entire villages. Magdalena, a village 100 miles north from the reservoir, saw its wells run dry, forcing its residents to rely on bottled water for several weeks.
Experts predict that New Mexico’s drought risk will become ever more acute in the coming decades. With less precipitation and more consecutive dry days, the changing climate will have devastating effects on the multibillion-dollar agricultural sector and the region’s forest ecosystems. Today, various alternatives to make communities more resilient to climate impacts are being discussed.
This feature focuses on water scarcity in the region by examining Elephant Butte Reservoir, its ongoing shrinkage, and the efforts taken at federal, state, and local levels to prepare for the impacts of a hotter and drier climate. – Ane González Lara, Diverse Peoples, Arid Landscapes, and the Built Environment report editor
https://archleague.org/article/water-scarcity-elephant-butte-reservoir/
Urban water infrastructure delimits invisible spatial boundaries in cities that can neither be comprehended nor questioned by the citizenry served. A feminist political ecology frame and Los Angeles as case study help elucidate how these boundaries are reinforced by cultural norms of water usage that may be discriminatory or outmoded and which strain limited freshwater resources. Connections between feminism, urbanism and water access are drawn, tying together specific cultural mores, modes of transportation and infrastructural systems to identify feminist spaces in the city. Three design methodologies key to developing infrastructural systems are suggested that can occupy these marginalized spaces of the city.
The necessary and consequential discourse on the future of landscape (architecture) is based on a critical dissection of the following axioms
1. Landscape happens. Landscape architecture is involved in only a very small percentage of the landscape.
2. Landscape is process. Landscape is not a product that can be manufactured.
3. Static modes of representation, during the inception and presentation of landscape projects trigger a static understanding of the realities and processes that make landscapes.
4. Landscape architecture is still relying on conventions of the picturesque, despite assertions to the contrary and to “performance over form”.
5. Landscape Architecture is habitually mired in “programism” and / or “functionalism”, leading to inflexible, limited-purpose landscapes.
6. Landscape Architecture is research-averse. Every design is an experiment. Landscape Architecture needs to continuously and critically test its assumptions, methods and outcomes.
7. Landscape Architecture is risk-averse. The professional tenets of “health, welfare and safety” are at odds with the experimental character of design and lead to outmoded landscapes.
8. Landscape is a direction, not a destination. Landscape Architecture needs to respond to horizons of uncertainty and let go of established “command-and-control” approaches. This redefines the landscape project, not as a product but rather as the ongoing, guided evolution and management of the landscape.
9. Landscape Architecture is discourse-averse. It refuses to situate itself in the scientific, artistic, political and cultural domains and their arguments.
Realizing the much-touted potential of landscape as agency while regaining the social and cultural relevance of landscape architecture requires to engage the issues outlined above.