Water is one the world’s most abundant substances, yet within modern societies it is also overlooked as an industrialized commodity. In desert metropolitan areas where water sources and flow has to be heavily manipulated for human consumption the sanctity of water has been lost. Engineered landscapes tame the irregularities of nature but often, waterways are created solely as infrastructure similar to alleyways. For decades, the residents of Maricopa County, Arizona have enjoyed a vast infrastructure that captures and channels throughout the arid climate. It brings water to countless spickets within the fifth largest city in the United States. In an area that receives an average of 8.3inches per year an average Phoenician uses 136 gallons a day. This need has created a separation between society and the environment. As the water is diverted into utilitarian canals, stripped of all vegetation to improve efficiency, the natural riverbed lies as an abandoned wasteland.
The 1985 Rio Salado Master Plan outlines a parkland and commercial development that is centered on the 38miles of riverbed running through the metro area. Tempe, a landlocked city within Phoenix metro, incorporated a smaller version within it city limits. These plans include, a 5mile artificial lake, rebuilding Tempe Beach Park, and development of the new waterfront into an oasis-like office park. This creation of “Tempe Town Lake,” has limitations: control of 977,000,000 gallons of open unfiltered water, and steep flood walls prevent wading or shallow swimming.
In my argument that follows, furthering the landscape design of the parkscapes and water-related architecture, will allow society to celebrate and reinforce the connection between man and water. Design and planning can rebuild the sanctity of water within desert communities. As a start, the large number of private pools in the Phoenix valley, second only to Los Angeles, place a burden on the water supply. As water resources become stretched, the costs of ownership are steadily increasing. Water shortages and the intense summer heat drives people to public and private bodies of water. In consideration of resources and individual costs, drawing the allure from private pools into a public natatorium will help to alleviate water concerns and can strengthen the regional sense of community.