An Experiment in Transdisciplinary Systems Map**: Architecture and the Water–Energy–Sanitation Nexus in Brazil
Abstract
:1. Introduction
1.1. Architectural Intersections with the WES Nexus
1.2. Research Scope and Structure
2. Materials and Methods
3. WES Nexus Challenges in Brazil
4. Map** the WES Nexus: Nodes and Their Interconnections
5. Discussion and Conclusions
Author Contributions
Funding
Informed Consent Statement
Data Availability Statement
Acknowledgments
Conflicts of Interest
1 | The notion of ‘efficiency’ in the context of resource use is not without critique. Scrutinizing the so-called ‘techno-optimism’ (the hope that technology will resolve current sustainability challenges and the climate emergency), the research shows that improvements in efficiency have not necessarily contributed to social, environmental, or economic sustainability in recent decades [55]. As Saunders and Tsao [56] argue, the ‘rebound effect’—i.e., the observation that gains from improvement in efficiency are minimized by an increase in demand—should not deter scholars, practitioners, and policy makers from seeking energy improvements, as they may still contribute to a reduction in resource use. |
2 | Informality, as defined by UN-HABITAT [66], is the presence of multiple deprivations: the lack of access to improved water, lack of access to improved sanitation, the lack of a sufficient living area and quality/durability of structure, and the lack of security of tenure. Although they are not usually thought of as the architect’s domain, the deprivations characterizing urban informality are directly related to the design, production, maintenance, and inhabitation of the built environment. Architecturally engaging with informality means, therefore, expanding into an ‘enlarged professional field with a responsibility for all architectures, including those where formal outcomes are uncertain and where makeshift forms play important roles’ [32]. The entanglement of the built form, environmental systems, economic structures, and social relations suggests the transgression of ‘normalised boundaries of architectural practice and ideology’ [32]. This requires the application of systems thinking to introduce new perspectives on seemingly familiar phenomena in architectural and urban research [10,67]. |
3 | |
4 | The geographical focus of the workshop was the Tietê River Basin in São Paulo, Brazil. |
5 | A common application within systems map** is causal loop diagraming, a qualitative method portraying causal relationships between elements. These connections can be either positive or negative [77]. Causal loop diagraming enables researchers to integrate diverse stakeholder perspectives and to capture emergent dynamics that a linear approach might overlook. |
6 | In the context of architectural education, practice, and research, systemic diagraming—a type of systems map**—is a method to encourage architects to engage with issues beyond the immediate building site or master plan [10]. Borrowed from the natural sciences, systemic diagraming provides a tool to map and communicate actors, resources, and flows within a system, allowing for a nuanced understanding of the interconnections at various scales. Systemic diagraming can be employed to map relationships and to assess the potential consequences of proposed interventions. This enables architects to address complex conditions and understand the broader implications of their interventions on political, socio-economic, and environmental dimensions. The spatial scale emerges as a practical self-regulation mechanism, allowing architects to understand smaller systems within the broader context of a given site. |
7 | These nodes are representative of the disciplinary backgrounds of the workshop participants and may vary with the set up of a multi-disciplinary team. |
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Knowledge Gap | Explanation |
---|---|
Lack of emphasis on interconnections and interdependencies | Limited understanding of the interconnections between water, energy, sanitation, and architecture [34,35]. |
Limited research on practical implementation and performance evaluation | Insufficient research on implementing and evaluating design strategies in real-world settings [64,65]. |
Neglect of social and cultural aspects | Inadequate attention to the social and cultural dimensions of the WES nexus [34,35]. |
Imbalance toward developed countries | Disproportionate focus on developed countries, neglecting the specific challenges faced by develo** countries, like Brazil. |
Insufficient consideration of broader implications of efficiency | Lack of critical examination of the broader implications of efficiency policies in terms of social, environmental, and economic sustainability [55,61,68]. |
Link | Node1 | Sector1 | Type1 | Node2 | Sector2 | Type2 | Reference |
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
L01 | N08 | W | T05 | N04 | E | T05 | [99] |
L02 | N12 | W | T01 | N17 | E | T05 | [98] |
L03 | N16 | W | T02 | N10 | E | T02 | [100] |
L04 | N01 | W | T02 | N15 | E | T02 | [101] |
L05 | N16 | W | T02 | N06 | S | T05 | [102] |
L06 | N16 | W | T02 | N02 | W | T02 | [103] |
L07 | N02 | W | T01 | N01 | W | T02 | [104,105] |
L08 | N13 | E | T01 | N11 | E | T05 | [106,107] |
L09 | N04 | E | T05 | N01 | W | T02 | [98] |
L10 | N15 | E | T02 | N16 | W | T02 | [108] |
L11 | N18 | S | T01 | N05 | E | T05 | [109] |
L12 | N09 | S | T01 | N15 | E | T02 | [110] |
L13 | N14 | S | T03 | N03 | S | T04 | [87] |
L14 | N07 | S | T05 | N16 | W | T02 | [111] |
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Castro, M.A.S.d.; Valencio, N.; Iossifova, D.; Santiago, C.D.; Ziglio, L.; Valencio, A.; Pugliesi, E.; Gonçalves, J.C.; Cheung, E.; Sengupta, U. An Experiment in Transdisciplinary Systems Map**: Architecture and the Water–Energy–Sanitation Nexus in Brazil. Architecture 2024, 4, 73-88. https://doi.org/10.3390/architecture4010006
Castro MASd, Valencio N, Iossifova D, Santiago CD, Ziglio L, Valencio A, Pugliesi E, Gonçalves JC, Cheung E, Sengupta U. An Experiment in Transdisciplinary Systems Map**: Architecture and the Water–Energy–Sanitation Nexus in Brazil. Architecture. 2024; 4(1):73-88. https://doi.org/10.3390/architecture4010006
Chicago/Turabian StyleCastro, Marco Aurélio Soares de, Norma Valencio, Deljana Iossifova, Cristine Diniz Santiago, Luciana Ziglio, Arthur Valencio, Erica Pugliesi, Juliano Costa Gonçalves, Eric Cheung, and Ulysses Sengupta. 2024. "An Experiment in Transdisciplinary Systems Map**: Architecture and the Water–Energy–Sanitation Nexus in Brazil" Architecture 4, no. 1: 73-88. https://doi.org/10.3390/architecture4010006