Water Strategies and Knowledge Sharing in the Arid Southwest

Determining the role of the neighborhood associations in the decision making process provides future knowledge for the sharing of water harvesting practices throughout the urban heat island of Tucson, Arizona.   This study focuses on the pathways of knowledge that people use to implement water-harvesting practices within their own landscapes.  Using in person semi-structured interviews and on site observations of ten participants in different locations within the City of Tucson, data on the location and the systems used on each property.  Preliminary results indicate the use of water harvesting practices comes through observation and participation in community projects.  The use of water harvesting allows residents opportunities for vegetable gardens and landscaping which in turn provide shade and reduce energy costs and the localized heat island effect.