The relational emergence of community and technology through the politics of water use

Abstract

ABSTRACTIncreasing water scarcity intensifies research interest in water-saving practices afforded by different water technologies. In community gardens, socio-technical water assemblages are visible and therefore they make insightful how water use norms and expectations materialise through technology. This article discusses how water use is shaped through the emergence of technologies and community relationships. It draws on participant observation and 25 walking interviews conducted at three community gardens in Sydney, Australia. In these gardens, different technologies – such as water tanks, taps and buckets – are in place for water collection, distribution and use. The study shows that water practices emerge in relation to various technological, community and environmental conditions. Water use entangles with circumstances such as the changing availability of water, time and technologies, and the proximity of gardeners’ homes to the garden. The research shows that people express community relationships through their use of private and communal water technologies, and that they are guided in this by feelings of guilt over wastefulness and their commitment to different gardening objectives. Together these circumstances and relationships shape water-saving practices that allow gardeners to express community mindedness by sharing water with others, while also working towards their individual gardening goals.