Introduction to Oklahoma's Wicked Problems

Abstract

The first chapter of the S3OK framework introduces the conceptual foundation and organizing framework for the National Science Foundation–funded Socially Sustainable Solutions for Water, Land Use, and Infrastructure Resilience in Oklahoma (S3OK) project, a five-year interdisciplinary initiative designed to develop durable, socially grounded responses to these challenges. This introductory chapter defines wicked problems and situates Oklahoma’s environmental and infrastructural challenges within a distinctive regional context characterized by subseasonal-to-seasonal climate variability, marginal and variable-quality water supplies, land-use transitions, and interdependent energy and water infrastructure systems. It outlines the S3OK project’s integrated approach, which combines the natural and engineering sciences with the social sciences to examine how public values, beliefs, and competing social narratives shape the feasibility and durability of policy and infrastructure solutions. Central to this approach is sustained, iterative engagement with stakeholders, including Oklahoma households, opinion leaders, scientists, and practitioners, to identify areas of potential agreement where solutions are more likely to gain public legitimacy and institutional support. This chapter concludes by presenting a flexible framework for addressing wicked problems that emphasizes problem definition, interdisciplinary solution development, collaborative implementation, and ongoing evaluation. Rather than seeking definitive fixes, the framework advances incremental, adaptive strategies that can evolve alongside changing environmental conditions, political contexts, and community priorities. Together, this approach offers a transferable model for developing socially sustainable solutions to complex socio-environmental challenges in Oklahoma and similar regions.