When you live in a hot, desert city that only gets 11 inches of rainfall per year, water is a precious resource. And yet, laws in Tucson, Arizona, long impeded people’s ability to utilize rainwater efficiently. That is, until Brad Lancaster took a handsaw to his curb and showed the city the result.

In 1998, Lancaster sawed through the curb in front of his house in six places, creating channels to divert rainwater into the space between the street and the sidewalk. Cutting into the curb was illegal, but city officials remained unaware of it for three years, until Lancaster himself told them what he’d done.

The transformation was simply too remarkable to keep to himself. Watch:

Simple rainwater diversion creates edible oases

Lancaster shared with permaculture expert Andrew Millison how channeling rainwater wisely creates a thriving landscape, providing both cooling shade and food for the public. Instead of sending it down concrete curb edges and into storm drains, cuts in the curb move water toward native trees and plants. As Millison says, this simple change is key to “turning depleted neighborhoods into thriving ecosystems.”

Lancaster showed Millison how........

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