Ripples of Resilience
A symbiotic pathway design strategy for the water system transition to combat water scarcity and desertification in the Segura River Basin, Spain.
S.C.J. van Rees (TU Delft - Architecture and the Built Environment)
Alex Wandl – Mentor (TU Delft - Environmental Technology and Design)
V Muñoz Sanz – Mentor (TU Delft - Urban Design)
More Info
expand_more
Other than for strictly personal use, it is not permitted to download, forward or distribute the text or part of it, without the consent of the author(s) and/or copyright holder(s), unless the work is under an open content license such as Creative Commons.
Abstract
Water scarcity is a growing issue in Europe, driven by the overexploitation of natural resources for anthropogenic activities, intensified by global pressures, and exacerbated by climate change. This has resulted in environmental degradation in many regions, including desertification and an increased risk of flooding. These symptoms signal a disrupted relationship between humans and nature and emphasise the need to transition towards a more socio-ecologically resilient water system. However, designing for systemic change remains challenging, as existing frameworks often fail to bridge theoretical concepts and practical implementation across interconnected spatial and temporal layers.
This thesis addresses this gap by developing a symbiotic systemic design strategy for the water transition in the Segura River Basin, an arid region marked by intensive agricultural production and structural water scarcity. Through a research-by-design process, this study integrates the concept of symbiosis with a systemic design approach.
The outputs include: (1) a methodology for symbiotic strategic design of water system transitions, (2) a pattern language of symbiotic design interventions, and (3) a regional symbiotic strategy for the Segura River Basin. The results show that a symbiotic systemic design framework can effectively connect complex systems theory to actionable design strategies and policy-making. Therefore, this research offers inspiration for researchers, designers, and decision-makers to collaboratively develop context-specific, symbiotic solutions to integrated systemic problems, moving collectively towards a socio-ecologically resilient future.