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Decision Theater
Publication Date: Spring 2005
Scientists at ASU’s new $6.9-million Decision Center for a Desert City (DCDC) will study the decision processes used to plan and manage water resources and desert city growth. Their work could have a profound effect on the future directions of urban growth in arid regions. The goal is to provide a sound scientific basis to the decisions that balance growth with finite water resources.
The DCDC is one of three new National Science Foundation-funded centers where researchers will investigate human decision-making under climatic uncertainty. The impact of the NSF centers could be felt for years to come as populations move to areas that struggle to achieve sustainability.
“DCDC will be a vital resource to study the rich history and impact of water management on the growth of the Phoenix metro area. Work at the center will help us better understand how we manage growth and sustainability of a dynamic and thriving region in the United States,” says Charles Redman, co-director of DCDC and director of ASU’s International Institute for Sustainability. Redman is joined by Patricia Gober, a professor of geography, as DCDC co-director.
Increasingly, many believe that even the best science will not significantly reduce uncertainty about global climate warming and the climate cycles that cause droughts, floods, and other severe weather events.
“Society must learn to make better decisions in the face of uncertainty,” explains Gober. “Our theme is the creation of partnerships between scientists and decision makers to study and understand the complex relationships between rapidly growing population, finite water resources and climatic variability.”
“With DCDC we want to strengthen the linkages between science and decision makers,” she adds. “We want to explore how to make more informed and better decisions. The Phoenix area provides the perfect laboratory in which do to that.”—Skip DerraLife Science: Ecology | Physical Science: Climatology