Sonoran Growth

Site design / master planning

Academic - Arizona State university│Instructor - SILVIA nERETTI │ spring 2020

For nearly a millennium canals have been used by the inhabitants of the Salt River Valley to make life possible. The Hohokam Nation used canals so their crops could survive the harsh summers. In the late 19th century canals were once again constructed so life in the Valley of the Sun could be possible. Up until the mid 1900’s these canals were seen as an asset to The Valley. The canals were places of respite, celebrating The Valley’s water. The canal areas where full of large shade trees and people would even swim the canals during the heat of the day. Today cities and the Salt River Project (SRP) have turned the canals into more of an industrial zone. There are no more shade trees and developments have turned their back to them. Some see them as dangerous due to a number of drownings occurring in the canals each year.

These canals are unique to Arizona. We have little water and should celebrate where we have it. These canals have the potential to become a staple of Sonoran Desert living. How can these canals leverage our place? Be resilient? Connect communities? Protect from flood damage? Densify Phoenix to prepare for an additional 100 million Americans by the end of the century? Promote healthy lifestyles? and respond to the surrounding environment?

Click this link to view my Issuu publication on the project

https://issuu.com/mslake1/docs/sonorangrowth

or view the website for this project at

https://storymaps.arcgis.com/stories/864115302ff64686aa9960d34eda0dc1