Is it the end for the lush lawns of Los Angeles? Dr. Pincetl talks to the BBC

An overall issue with the current approach to lawn replacement is that it’s very individualised, says Dr Pincetl. There is an element of personal responsibility when it comes to lawns and water use, according to Dr Pincetl, where “the water you use on your lawn is the water I’m not going to be drinking next week”.

At the same time, more sweeping community-level changes are needed.

Dr Pincetl calls for “a more robust infrastructure of transformation to really help people who want to make that transformation and don’t have that kind of capacity”. For instance, youth training organisations could work neighbourhood by neighbourhood to support residents in reimagining their lawns.