20-09-2017, 09:19 AM
Humans depend on water in almost every aspect of life, from basic bodily needs to food, manufacturing, irrigation, energy production, recreation, etc .; it becomes clear that water is of paramount importance for our society. Because of this, no civilization can survive without a reliable source of water. But does water serve as a limiting factor for population and economic growth, especially given the ability of modern humans to manipulate and manage natural resources? We conducted this study to examine the relationships between a city's growth, its proximity to the water source, and the cost that residents pay for their water; specifically, to determine whether proximity and price had a negative effect on population size and whether proximity had a positive correlation with price. This was more challenging than originally imagined, since many residential water pricing systems vary from city to city (often for political and social reasons) and do not accurately reflect the cost of transporting such water . Much of the data we collect does not follow an obvious observable trend, although the analysis of additional data may reveal correlations between cities implementing similar water pricing systems, an approach not undertaken in this study. Our project examines a topic that could provide a striking insight into the interactions between water infrastructure, management, economies, cultures and human nature as a whole.