Drought Management – Best Practices

From Torrential Rains to Drought Solutions:
Expert at Woodbury University’s Arid Lands Institute
Offers New Perspective on Southern California Water Issues
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Institute Co-Director Hadley Arnold Says Integrating Architectural, Urban and Landscape Design into Local Urban Planning Process May Relieve Drought Conditions

LOS ANGELES – (March 3, 2014) – The destructive cycles of drought, fire, flood and mud that routinely plague Southern California communities could be transformed into a long-term solution to water scarcity, according to Arid Lands Institute @ Woodbury University co-founder and director Hadley Arnold, who believes integrating architectural, urban and landscape design into local urban planning policy and processes could help solve long-standing water issues in the region.

Who:              Hadley Arnold, co-founder and director of the Arid Lands Institute @ Woodbury University (www.aridlands.org/), a self-sustaining education, research and outreach center funded by major grants from the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development, the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency, the Metropolitan Water District’s World Water Forum, and the Metabolic Studio.

What:             As Southern California faces several days of torrential rain after months of the worst drought conditions in years, experts are seeking creative new ways to buffer the region from its historical dependence on imported water and diminishing snowpack.

“Storm water capture, the design of a more absorbent built environment and integrating hydrologic function into the urban planning process right alongside transportation and density are among the long-term solutions to Southern California’s drought cycle,” says Arnold, an architectural educator who has focused on solutions to water scarcity since 1998.

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