As urban growth outstrips water supplies, how can the global
challenge of providing "liquid gold" be met? Mixing history and
policy analysis, Steven Erie tells the compelling story of the
Metropolitan Water District of Southern California (MWD)-one of the
world's largest and most important public water agencies-and its
role in building the world's 8th largest economy in a semi-desert.
No tawdry tale of secret backroom conspiracies-as depicted in the
famed film noir Chinatown-this fresh telling concerns an unheralded
regional institution, its entrepreneurial public leadership, and
pioneering policymaking. Using untapped primary sources, the author
re-examines this great regional experiment from its obscure
1920s-era origins, through the Colorado River Aqueduct and State
Water Projects, to today's daunting mission of drought management,
water quality, environmental stewardship, and post-9/11 supply
security. A key focus is MWD's navigation of recent epic water
battles: San Diego's combative quest for water independence from
MWD and L.A.; lingering conflicts over the Colorado River and
northern California's fragile Bay-Delta ecosystem; and the myriad
challenges posed by water markets, privatization, and water
transfers. Facing unprecedented challenges, MWD is devising
innovative formulas to sustain this improbable desert civilization.
Beyond Chinatown concludes by considering MWD's Integrated
Resources Plan as a global model for water-resources planning and
management, water supply diversification and reliability,
affordability, and environmental sustainability. Chinatown's
seductive mythologies have obscured MWD's authentic, instructive
history and lessons. Praise for Steve Erie's previous book,
Globalizing L.A.: "This book is a must-read for anyone interested
in the politics of Western cities, the politics of urban
development, and especially the future politics of cities that are
likely to be contenders in the increasingly competitive arena of
global trade. . . . Erie's analysis will forever direct us to look
first at certain public agencies to begin to understand larger
patterns of economic growth in any metropolitan area."-Journal of
Urban Affairs "[A] fascinating history of the Los Angeles region's
great assets and the forces that drove their development. . . . One
hundred years ago, it was improbable that the Los Angeles region
would become the 10th largest economy in the world. In Globalizing
L.A., Erie explains how that happened and then, fingers crossed,
offers lessons on how California's largest and most diverse city
and region can keep playing a leading role."-Los Angeles Times
"Referencing an impressive body of recent academic research, Erie
argues that world-class seaport and airport facilities confer
substantial economic advantages and more facilitating links between
local businesses and the global economy."-The Sacramento Bee "Erie
has built a potent political-economy of urban development that
recognizes the crucial role of the public sector in mediating
globalizing processes . . . and this is a valuable lesson for
academics, dockworkers, community developers, and environmental
activists alike."-Economic Geography
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