Making do is about using what we already have. It is about considering the existing as a valuable resource, not as unsatisfactory or constraining. Each existing situation is an opportunity consisting of elements, qualities, and capacities that can be integrated, reactivated, and reused. Each existing structure offers materials that can drastically reduce the need for new materials. Each site permits invention and imagination.

Water is a vital resource for all life, yet it is also associated with many of the greatest threats to humanity, from melting ice caps to toxic rivers. A holistic approach to water management can be an emblem for a culture of sustainability. 

Chennai currently works with a perception of scarcity – water is transported across long distances from unsustainable sources to nourish the city. India’s fourth most populous urban agglomeration receives more than enough rain to supply its population of almost ten million people, but the rainwater is quickly expelled into the sea. Wastewater is not reused as an asset; but is allowed to pollute the aquifer. By closing the water loop locally through rainwater harvesting and wastewater recycling, Chennai can become resilient.