showering and laundry. Greywater from fixtures like lavatory basins or washing machines can be reused directly in the building, often without treatment or with only primary treatment.
Fit-for-Scale The water system also must fit with the scale of use. Different technologies and strategies lend themselves to different scales of use. This report addresses three basic scales in an urban context: the single family home, multifamily residential or commercial buildings, and a neighborhood or campus. There is great diversity even within each of these individual typologies, emphasizing the need for site-specific design. As suggested in the Living Building Challenge, the appropriate scale for a water system may extend it beyond the boundaries of the project site. “Depending on the technology, the optimal scale can vary when considering environmental impact, first cost and operating costs.” 43 The scale of the system can impact the scope and boundaries of a risk assessment for the project. Systems that go beyond a project boundary also naturally expand the role of community involvement during the planning phase.
Community Involvement Water system proponents should decide on the appropriate level of community participation to include in the planning stages of the project. The primary audience for engagement would logically include community members that are the intended beneficiaries of the system, along with those that have the greatest exposure to residual risk associated with the system or whom might be otherwise impacted. Multiple models exist for varying levels of community involvement in planning local projects and infrastructure. These levels range in intensity from “consultation” to “involvement” to “engagement”. Consultation implies only providing information to a community and requesting feedback. Involvement implies the need for the water system to be responsive to the community’s needs, and that the project leaders should decide on the structures and decision-making processes in which to involve community members. Engagement, the most intensive form of community participation, builds a fully collaborative relationship with a community for both governance and system planning. A
43 McLennan, Jason, Eden Brukman. Living Building Challenge 2.0: A Visionary Path to a Restorative Future. Seattle: International Living Building Institute, 2009.
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Toward Net Zero Water