The Influence of Historical Irrigation Canals on Urban Morphology in Valencia, Spain

Abstract

As one of the fundamental natural resources of life, water and its management within ecosystems has always been the most crucial aspect of any settlement. Prior to urban modernization, water was sourced upstream from rivers or groundwater, supplying settlements, with the runoff being drained further downstream or to sea, creating a series of water flows; our livelihood coexisted with this series. In the rapid city growth led by modernization, due to the creation of uniform and homogeneous new urban areas, water flow became separated for each purpose and began to be specifically manipulated for, and by, human society. This study was designed as one of a series of research projects aiming to highlight the relationship between the historical hydraulic systems and the more recent urban spatial structure, with the focus on Valencia, one of the medium sized cities in Spain. Valencia is ideal as a case study due to the historical mechanisms of hydraulic systems still partially in use, such as irrigation canals in its agricultural regions and sewage canals in its urban areas. In more recent years, the ancient canals and the rivers that were neglected or buried, due to pollution and/or flooding concerns, began to regain significance in the face of the growing interest in and necessity of restructuring green spaces in the city as well as the preservation of the city’s unique identity and history, along with its remaining/evolving ecosystems. The purpose of our research is to interpret the interaction between Valencia’s urban morphology and its historical irrigation systems, particularly its waterways. The target period is from the modernization in the 20th century to their present conditions.