Baskaran: Thirsty Places

In Thirsty Places, Priya Baskaran (American University Law) provides a comparison of water insecurity in Flint, Michigan, and southern West Virginia — two places she describes as Geographically Disadvantaged Spaces (GDS). By comparing these communities, Thirsty Places challenges the urban and rural divide narrative by illustrating water infrastructure problems that occur, in seeming parallel, in both urban and rural places like this.

The case studies in Thirsty Places are particularly compelling. In evocative detail, Thirsty Places analyzes how economic distress developed and contributed to water inequality in both Flint and Appalachia. Baskaran particularly focuses on the responsibility of commercial actors (like GM in Flint and the coal industry in Appalachia) and public agencies, including the Federal Housing Administration and historically the Home Owners Loan Corporation.

Baskaran also provides a helpful overview of existing funding mechanisms related to water infrastructure and analyzes how these programs fail to address the infrastructure crises in GDS. Thirsty Places asserts the remedy for the problems facing GDS is an economic one and calls for more accessible opportunities for building sustainable futures for places in current financial distress. In her exploration of possible solutions, Baskaran also discusses The Green New Deal, a human right to resources, inclusive governance dynamics, and the broader need for just transition policies.

Ultimately, Thirsty Places frames the struggles of GDS not as a cautionary tale, but rather as a reminder of the economic vulnerability and precarious futures of all communities, especially in the era of climate change and global pandemics.

This digest was produced with significant contribution by Aurora Kenworthy, UNL Law Student.