School living labs and ecotechnologies for sustainable water management in rural communities of Mexico

Authors

DOI:

https://doi.org/10.32870/rvcs.v0i20.339

Keywords:

ecotechnology, community participation, living labs, water governance, rural schools

Abstract

Access to water in rural communities in Mexico remains a structural challenge with direct implications for health, education, and social equity. This article presents the outcomes of a Pilot Research and Incidence Project at the “Cuauhtémoc” Rural Multigrade School in El Chivatillo, Cocula, Jalisco, where a Community Rainwater Harvesting System (SCCALL) was co-designed and implemented within a Water-Oriented Living Lab framework. Using a mixed-methods approach that combined hydrological assessments (water balance, storage efficiency, turbidity analysis) with participatory action research and critical ethnography, the study evaluated both technical performance and community governance processes. Results show an annual harvesting potential of 91,738 liters-covering 59.4% of school demand-but also highlight storage limitations (1,300 L) as a technical bottleneck.  Beyond hydraulic outcomes, the SCCALL became a community-managed common good through the creation of a School Water Committee, self-financing strategies, and integration into teaching practices, thus demonstrating how modest ecotechnologies can evolve into socio-technical artifacts that articulate technology, community, and territory, and positioning school living labs as replicable models for water resilience, community empowerment, and sustainable management in rural contexts.

Author Biographies

Armando Rangel Arceo , Universidad de Guadalajara, Mexico

Adscrito al Doctorado en Innovación para el hábitat Sustentable, Centro Universitario de Arte, Arquitectura y Diseño, Universidad de Guadalajara, México. Doctor en innovación para el hábitat sustentable, Universidad de Guadalajara. Área de investigación: Sistemas sociotécnicos para la gestión sustentable del agua en hábitat rural, Reconfiguración del hábitat rural mediante articulación escuela–comunidad–territo

Mariana Villada Canela, Universidad Autónoma de Baja California, Mexico

            She holds a Bachelor’s degree in Civil Engineering from the Instituto Tecnológico de Chilpancingo, a Master’s degree in Environmental Engineering from the National Autonomous University of Mexico (UNAM), and a Ph.D. in Urban and Environmental Studies from El Colegio de México. She is a Full-Time Senior Researcher (Research Professor C) in the Environmental and Water Sciences area at the Institute of Oceanological Research, Autonomous University of Baja California (UABC). She is a Level II member of the National System of Researchers (SNII–SECIHTI) and has been awarded the PRODEP-SEP Desirable Profile Recognition. She leads the Consolidated Academic Body "Water and Environment" (UABC-CA-130). Her research interests include integrated water resources management, environmental governance, community-based water quality monitoring, and the socio-political dimensions of desalination.  

Jaime Francisco Gómez Gómez, Universidad de Guadalajara, Mexico

Adscrito a la Universidad de Guadalajara, Departamento de Producción y Desarrollo, Centro Universitario de Arte Arquitectura y Diseño. Doctorado en Ciencia e Ingeniería de los Materiales, Universidad Politécnica de Cataluña. Área de Investigación: Uso de materiales recuperados. Publicaciones recientes: Gómez Gómez, J. F. y C. E. Aguilar Méndez,(2025) Investigación e incidencia. Hacia un proyecto integral de acceso justo al hábitat tomo II. Universidad de Guadalajara. Aguilar Méndez, C.E y Gómez Gómez, J. F. (2025) Proyectos de investigación e incidencia para el acceso justo al hábitat. Bienestar social y ambiental en el modelo de desarrollo postmodern, en Investigación e incidencia. Hacia un proyecto integral de acceso justo al hábitat tomo II. Neri Ledezma, S. y Gómez Gómez, J. F. (2025) Prendas de compresión mediante uso de tecnologías avanzadas, un enfoque socioeconómico, en Investigación e incidencia. Hacia un proyecto integral de acceso justo al hábitat tomo II. Universidad de Guadalajara.

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Published

2026-06-30

How to Cite

Rangel Arceo , A., Villada Canela, M. ., & Gómez Gómez, J. F. (2026). School living labs and ecotechnologies for sustainable water management in rural communities of Mexico. Vivienda Y Comunidades Sustentables, (20), 67–84. https://doi.org/10.32870/rvcs.v0i20.339

Issue

No. 20 (2026): Vivienda y Comunidades Sustentables

Section

Research Articles

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Copyright (c) 2026 Armando Rangel Arceo, Mariana Villada Canela, Jaime Francisco Gómez Gómez

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