Abstract
Urban water provision is the archetypal case for the recent wave of urban political ecology, using the concept of “fix” to illustrate belief in technical forms to solve socioecological problems like uneven water distribution and environmental degradation. On the one hand, this paper shows that the risks of water shortages in Arizona, USA are a technical concern. Professionals are dedicated to the promotion of water conservation to “fix” a dysfunctional hydro-social cycle. Yet, environmental organizations raise a critical approach to this “hydrocracy”. They defend local water supplies, river regeneration, and reuse as promoting a low water-use “desert lifestyle”. Building on the intellectual history of “fixes”, we apply Giorgio Agamben’s concept of “gesture”, signaling how, in places of deep water scarcity, water conservation policies remain within notions of growth, such that pauses in water availability leave open future promises of resource abundance so the moment of scarcity can be endured.
Keywords:
Water Conservation; Socioecological Fix; Gesture; Desert Cities; Political Ecology
©Anne-Lise Boyer
A desert view with a golf course in the foreground to the right, which is a contrast to the semi-arid landscape on the left-hand foreground overlooking Phoenix, Arizona - 12 miles by car (19 kilometers) from the city center. Although it is not universally the case, many golf courses in the desert cities now use reclaimed water to maintain the aesthetic of their grounds. © Brian F. O’Neill, August 2019.
The Central Arizona Project at 136 miles by car from Phoenix (219 kilometers), Arizona (248 miles, or 400 kilometers from Tucson, Arizona). The total distance of the canal is 336 miles long, or about 540 kilometers. © Brian F. O’Neill, August 2019.
Rainwater “harvesting” barrels can be seen throughout the desert city of Tucson, often installed with the help of a rebate program through the city administration that can refund residents up to $2,000. Photo © Anne-lise Boyer, May 2019