Water Traces in Urban Space

Abstract

Cities are alive with fragments and traces of the past. Every street in the city is a palimpsest of other times, different urban strategies, different needs, representations and intentions. Each material object is embedded in a complex network of the socio-technical relations and politics at the time of its making. The making and remaking of objects in place, their destruction, neglect on the one hand or their valorization as heritage objects or things to be preserved and saved, and sometimes still used, tell us stories about the different periods through which they have travelled, or remained static, become visible or invisible. Through vignettes of selected sites, this chapter shows how water has made its many marks in the city, often forgotten but with an often-vibrant presence nevertheless.