2026 Texas ASLA Honor Award
Acequia Channels

Title: Acequia Channels

Acequia channels demonstrate the ability of humans to shape the land, allowing us to grow and thrive in a hostile environment. Like water, communities flow together; resilient cities are built through cooperation, understanding the land, and equitable access to resources. Like a channel, this project carries people where they need to go without relying on cars, providing respite and relief to residents while maintaining and cooling the community. The Acequia Community is a mixed-use development that integrates work and play by connecting public and private spaces. Creating a place of refuge from the heightening temperatures and fighting urban sprawl.

Acequia Community draws its name from historic Spanish acequias, community-managed water channels used in arid regions. The Phoenix Basin is home to many of these canals, including their ancient predecessors left by the Hohokam in A.D. 1450, who used them to build a flourishing community. These waterways were vital to create life in the desert, and much like Phoenix's namesake, they were revived into a new purpose.

Today, Phoenix, Arizona, faces development constraints from surrounding preserves, cities, and reservations, pushing growth into narrow zones. Even so, the city’s grid is packed with parking lots, strip malls, and single-family housing, resulting in urban sprawl. This development has led to intensified urban heat islands, increased travel time, and strains on already limited environmental resources. The Acequia Community responds by reshaping a downtown block into a space that “channels” movement and water. By connecting communities across a fragmented urban landscape, Acequia Community creates a strong sense of place in downtown Phoenix, activating public spaces and offering relief from the heat

The community is centered around pedestrian travel, supporting multiple forms of transportation while limiting vehicular access. Simultaneously, Acequia Community fights heat-related risks and the intense temperatures that make Phoenix one of the most vulnerable cities to climate change. By incorporating strategies to create shade, green infrastructure, and water-conscious systems, the community protects residents and pedestrians while enhancing air quality.

Like traditional acequias, the community is inclusive and shared. Through mixed-income housing, accessible public spaces, and the use of Arizona natives, the project aims to promote equality and resilience. The Acequia Community reimagines an asphalt-covered city block into a living system where water, people, and place flow together to create a healthier desert city. Like a channel, this project carries people where they need to be, providing refuge so residents can thrive.