Conceptual Framework and Computational Research of Hierarchical Residential Household Water Demand

Abstract

Although the quantity of household water consumption does not account for a huge proportion of the total water consumption amidst socioeconomic development, there has been a steadily increasing trend due to population growth and improved urbanization standards. As such, mastering the mechanisms of household water demand, scientifically predicting trends of household water demand, and implementing reasonable control measures are key focuses of current urban water management. Based on the categorization and characteristic analysis of household water, this paper used Maslow's Hierarchy of Needs to establish a level and grade theory of household water demand, whereby household water is classified into three levels (rigid water demand, flexible water demand, and luxury water demand) and three grades (basic water demand, reasonable water demand, and representational water demand). An in-depth analysis was then carried out on the factors that influence the computation of household water demand, whereby equations for different household water categories were established, and computations for different levels of household water were proposed. Finally, observational experiments on household water consumption were designed, and observation and simulation computations were performed on three typical households in order to verify the scientific outcome and rationality of the computation of household water demand. The research findings contribute to the enhancement and development of prediction theories on water demand, and they are of high theoretical and realistic significance in terms of scientifically predicting future household water demand and fine-tuning the management of urban water resources.

A Water Resource Equilibrium Regulation Model Under Water Resource Utilization Conflict: A Case Study in the Yellow River Basin

“…Elastic water demand is water to improve people's quality of life, develop industry, and maintain a suitable ecological environment for rivers and lakes, and at this level, losses caused by water scarcity are reparable. Luxury water demand is the amount of water required to sustain luxury consumption, high water‐consuming industries, and high water‐consuming landscapes in real life (Hou et al., 2014; Hou et al., 2018; Pan et al., 2018). The standard for water resource demand stratification varies from region to region and is not absolute.…”

“…At present, there are few studies on the stratification of water resource demand, and the division standards for different regions are also adjusted to local conditions (Hou et al., 2018; Hou et al., 2014; Melloul & Collin, 2003). Based on the characteristics of different water users, the standard for water demand stratification in the YRB is shown in Table 3 (Gleick, 1996; Wang et al., 2020; Wu et al., 2020).…”

“…Hou et al. (Hou et al., 2018; Pan et al., 2018) established a hierarchical theory of household water demand based on Maslow's hierarchy of needs in which household water is classified into three levels. Based on Maslow's hierarchy of needs and the Gini coefficient, in this study, a water resource equilibrium regulation model is constructed from the demand side.…”

Healthy waterways and ecologically sustainable cities in Beijing‐Tianjin‐Hebei urban agglomeration (northern China): Challenges and future directions

“…Climate change has intensified the conditions of water insecurity in BTH (Pan et al, 2018). Changing temperature and precipitation affect water resources directly and indirectly.…”

Mechanism Study on the Impact of China Population Structure Change on the Water Use of the Three Main Industries

“…With the rapid development of China's economy, especially the rapid growth of the population of large cities, the contradiction between population and water resource has become increasingly prominent; Maslow's hierarchy of needs theory has become a fundamental theory to guide Chinese scholars in their research on water utilization. Pan et al [19] used research data to establish a hierarchy and ranking theory of household water use based on Maslow's demand hierarchy theory, which classifies household water use into three levels (rigid water use, flexible water use, and luxury water use) and three ranks (basic water demand, reasonable water demand, and representative water demand). Xue et al [20] established a water conservation community public participation model based on Maslow's five levels of human demand theory, where economic benefits, environmental improvement benefits, and self-fulfilling satisfaction of participation will be the driving force for the model to work.…”