Present and future water tradeoffs in a desert city

In some parts of Phoenix, you’d never know you were in the desert. Early Phoenicians dreamed of a green oasis, and those visions persist today as one of many contradictions surrounding water in this desert city. We flaunt abundance but nervously imagine impending scarcity. Wetlands thrive in a dry riverbed because water is inefficiently retained on land. Naturally flashy streams are dry most of the time, but it’s all about constancy in the city. How could Phoenix resolve its water contradictions with water-sensitive design? Diverse decision-makers developed visions of a future Phoenix and began to answer that question.