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Remaking stormwater as a resource: Technology, law, and citizenship
Author(s) -
Cousins Joshua J.
Publication year - 2018
Publication title -
wiley interdisciplinary reviews: water
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
SCImago Journal Rank - 2.413
H-Index - 24
ISSN - 2049-1948
DOI - 10.1002/wat2.1300
Subject(s) - stormwater , corporate governance , environmental planning , repurposing , resource (disambiguation) , business , urbanization , politics , political science , engineering , surface runoff , environmental science , economics , economic growth , law , computer science , ecology , computer network , finance , biology , waste management
This review examines how stormwater is being rethought of as a resource in urban planning and governance. No longer administered simply as a conveyance problem, a range of actors are progressively repurposing stormwater as an underutilized resource that can resolve water quality and quantity challenges. I suggest this transition emerged out of the need to address a host of problems rooted in the institutional and infrastructural legacy of treating stormwater as a waste and flood control problem, as well as a new set of concerns associated with climate change, continued urbanization, and fiscal and administrative cuts. As a response, a number of technical and political mechanisms are looking to remake stormwater as a resource. In particular, the review focuses on the role of green infrastructure and technological change, legal structures, and incentives to enroll citizens into the governance process. These practices assemble stormwater as a resource by configuring diverse forms of knowledge, technology, and relations that meet political goals to build smart, resilient, and sustainable cities. This article is categorized under: Engineering Water > Sustainable Engineering of Water Human Water > Water Governance Science of Water > Water Quality