More City than Water: A Houston Flood Atlas

More City than Water is a literary and cartographic anthology that explores the human geography of a region increasingly defined by flooding, featuring essays, conversations, and personal narratives from climate scientists, marine ecologists, housing activists, urban planners, artists, poets, and historians. It features striking maps of Houstons floodplains, waterways, drainage systems, reservoirs, and inundated neighborhoods designed by University of Houston seniors from the Graphic Design program.

Format: Hardback
Length: 264 pages
Publication date: 01 June 2022
Publisher: University of Texas Press

Writers League of Texas announced the winners of its 2022 awards, recognizing excellence in writing across various genres. The Sierra Club Lone Star Chapter received an Honorable Mention for their 2022 Art in Service to the Environment Award. Additionally, the book titled More City than Water by Lacy M. Johnson was awarded the 2022 Nonfiction Prize.

The book explores the complex relationship between a city and chronic catastrophic flooding. Following Hurricane Harvey's devastating impact on Houston in 2017, celebrated writer and Bayou City resident Lacy M. Johnson embarked on a mission to collect flood stories. These narratives not only showcased the immense diversity of experiences within America's most vibrant city but also raised a consistent question: What does catastrophic flooding reveal about Houston, and what does it obscure?

To answer these questions, More City than Water brings together a diverse range of essays, conversations, and personal narratives from climate scientists, marine ecologists, housing activists, urban planners, artists, poets, and historians. These experts reflect on the human geography of a region increasingly defined by flooding, shedding light on the challenges and opportunities that arise in this context.

The book is a literary and cartographic anthology, featuring striking maps of Houston's floodplains, waterways, drainage systems, reservoirs, and inundated neighborhoods. These maps, designed by University of Houston seniors from the Graphic Design program, are imaginative and precise, offering a fresh perspective on the flooding, the public's relationship to it, and the arduous process of rebuilding.

More City than Water is an evocative and unique atlas that delves into the changing nature of living in flood-prone areas. It challenges our preconceptions and encourages us to reimagine the ways in which we inhabit and interact with these vulnerable environments.

The Sierra Club Lone Star Chapter's Honorable Mention for their 2022 Art in Service to the Environment Award highlights their commitment to environmental conservation and sustainability. The book's recognition as the 2022 Nonfiction Prize by the Writers League of Texas further underscores the importance of storytelling and the power of literature to shed light on pressing social and environmental issues.

Dimension: 254 x 178 (mm)
ISBN-13: 9781477325001