Oklahoma’s Wicked Problems: A Framework for Socially Sustainable Solutions for Water, Land Use, & Infrastructure

Abstract

Oklahoma faces a set of persistent and interrelated “wicked problems” at the intersection of water resources, land use, infrastructure resilience, and climate variability. These challenges are characterized by scientific uncertainty, competing social narratives, institutional fragmentation, and the absence of singular or permanent solutions. This book presents the outcomes and framework developed through the National Science Foundation–funded Socially Sustainable Solutions for Water, Land Use, and Infrastructure Resilience in Oklahoma (S3OK) project, a five-year, interdisciplinary collaboration designed to address these challenges through science-informed, socially grounded approaches. Drawing on integrated research across subseasonal-to-seasonal weather dynamics, variable and marginal-quality water supplies, terrestrial water and carbon systems, and interdependent infrastructure, the S3OK project couples technical analysis with systematic stakeholder engagement. Central to this approach is an emphasis on social dynamics—how public values, beliefs, and narratives shape the feasibility and durability of proposed solutions. Through iterative collaboration with Oklahoma households, opinion leaders, scientists, and practitioners, the project identified areas of potential agreement where solutions are more likely to gain broad public and institutional support. This document synthesizes scientific findings, engagement processes, and policy-relevant insights into a flexible framework for addressing wicked problems. Rather than seeking definitive solutions, the S3OK framework emphasizes adaptive, incremental strategies that are durable across political, economic, and environmental change. By integrating empirical research with stakeholder-driven problem definition and solution design, this work provides a practical model for developing socially sustainable responses to complex socio-environmental challenges in Oklahoma, the Great Plains, and similarly situated regions.