Comparative Analysis of Groundwater Recharge Strategies in Beijing and Los Angeles: A Decision-Making Matrix Framework
Lei Wang, MLWS 2025
Groundwater depletion has become a significant threat to urban sustainability, prompting a global shift toward managed aquifer recharge (MAR) as a resilience strategy (Ross & Hasnain, 2018). However, the success of MAR projects depends not only on technical design but also on governance capacity, financial architecture, institutional coherence, and public legitimacy (Gober & Wheater, 2014). This study compares groundwater recharge governance in Beijing and Los Angeles—two large, water-stressed cities with distinct political systems and institutional cultures—to explore how urban governance models influence the planning, implementation, and long-term viability of MAR.
