Research

Thrust Leader: William Eisenstein, UC Berkeley

The U Thrust is focused on identifying and overcoming the barriers to implementation and diffusion of technologies developed by ReNUWIt researchers in the E Thrust and N Thrust as well as the development of promising water management technologies.  We conduct research on decision support techniques for utility, municipal and regional planners, and analyze the potential legal, institutional, economic, financial, and social barriers to technology diffusion and identify the means to overcome them.  In each of these areas, we focus on identifying appropriate decision criteria, assessing optimal degrees of system decentralization under various conditions, characterizing risk and uncertainty, assessing economic and financial implications of various technologies, and integrating new technologies into existing water infrastructures and urban landscapes.

U Thrust Research Themes

U1 – Decision support systems for utility planning
U2 – Visioning, assessment, and implementation tools for regional and municipal water planning
U3 – Technology diffusion pathways