Are No Lawns The Future For California?

The last, severe drought caused many Californians to rip out their lawns, but some now believe the emergency is over, writes CityLab contributor Aleksandra Appleton.
During one of the most notable droughts in California's history, residents of the Golden State opted for artificial turf, rock beds or bricks, wood chips and Century plants, or plain dirt, instead of grass.
Statewide, the interest in rebates for lawn conversion appears to be dwindling. From August 2015 to August 2016, the Department of Water Resources handed out more than 8,000 turf rebates, representing more than 9 million square feet. In 2018, just 114 rebates were given out. This tracks with an overall decline in water conservationsince the drought ended. Fresno’s estimated residential water use in 2017 was lower than in 2013, but had crept up from 2015 levels, according to the California State Water Resources Control Board.
But to see the Californian suburb of the future, you only have to travel a few miles north or southeast, where new developments are shooting up out of the farmland. These have closely-packed homes in coordinating sienna tones, each with only a little xeriscaped space out front and, often, pavement in the back.
As Julie Saare-Edmonds, a senior environmental scientist with the landscape program of the California Department of Water Resources, put it: “Why would you want to mow a really tiny yard? It’s one thing if you use your lawn, but if it sits out there and you have to mow it and take care of it and you don’t use it, then why have it?”

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