What can we learn about present and past societies by examining their infrastructures? What does infrastructure tell us about imagined or intended futures? How does it change the society that creates and maintains it? What is the relationship between infrastructure and environment, and what happens when aspects of that environment change? Why do societies maintain and adapt some infrastructures, while abandoning others?

This 4-day summer institute will explore these and other questions, considering infrastructures across place and time. It will include presentations by scholars, interactive activities, discussions, and two field trips to East Bay Municipal Utility District (EBMUD) sites.