Hydro-urbanism: reconfiguring the urban water-cycle inudthe lower Lea river basin, London

摘要

This thesis explores how water infrastructures can be reconfigured in the urban environment to theudadvantage of human society in the future. It found actor-network theory co-evolutionary pathwaysudbetween current material configurations and social practices for these reconfigurations. Materialudconfigurations include infrastructures, urban form, fixtures, fittings, and water types. Socialudpractices, include existing behaviours, imagined behaviours, desires, and aspirations.udThis is an important question to answer because there are many places around the world, both inuddeveloped and developing countries that currently face inadequate water supplies to serve the needsudof their ever growing populations, or conversely flooding due to extreme precipitation or sea leveludrise. The lower Lea river basin in London is one such area. The large scale engineering solutions ofudpipes and pumps to control water that have been the typical solution are reaching their limitsudtherefore it is imperative to find other means to manage water in urban environments.udThis research used an actor-network theory co-evolution framework to understand the existingudurban water-cycle, and to find areas of transformation in order to develop actor-network coevolutionaryudpathways for change. Interviews, group discussions and water diaries were used toudinvestigate the existing conditions and anticipated future changes of both private citizens and waterudprofessionals. An iterative process of design synthesis and discussions were repeated twice to testudand define the actor-network theory co-evolutionary pathways.udThis research stretches actor-network theory from its ethnographic beginnings into the realm of theudfuture through design propositions. It found that there were two strongly favoured actor-networkudtheory co-evolutionary pathways for reconfiguring the urban water-cycle in the lower Lea riverudbasin. These were increasing freshwater productivity and transforming waste to resource. Theseudcreate new water-cycle assemblages that offer advantages to people who face many, yet uncertain,udtypes of water stress in the future.