The Socio-Ecological Entanglement of Water and Resilience in Past and Present Tropical Societies

Summary

Urban resilience and sustainability have gained increasing prominence in the literature as concerns regarding water resources and climate change continue to grow. Cities, particularly those in the midst of extreme urban development, are facing a wider range of stresses that call for greater enhancement of resilience techniques. This paper highlights the work of the Socio-Ecological Entanglement in Tropical Societies (SETS) project, whose goal is to investigate resilience and vulnerability within particular socio-ecological relationships amongst past tropical societies in South and Southeast Asia and Mesoamerica. The water management sub-project focuses on the availability, accessibility, and use of water resources. Stresses, such as climate change and increased urbanism, have created challenges to water conservation, both in ancient and modern times. An examination of these stressors on past water management in the SETS research sample, compared to those of the present-day, will provide insights and foster strategies towards the long-standing difficulties in producing "resilient cities" with greater levels of sustainability.

This Resource is Part of the Following Collections

• Society for American Archaeology 82nd Annual Meeting, Vancouver, BC (2017)   •
• An Introduction to the Socio-ecological Entanglement in Tropical Societies (SETS) Project

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Record Identifiers

Abstract Id(s): 14888