The Politics Of Urban Water: Changing Waterscapes In Amsterdam
by Kimberley Kinder /
2015 / English / PDF
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Fifty years ago, urban waterfronts were industrial, polluted, and
diseased. Today, luxury homes and shops line riverbanks, harbors,
and lakes across Europe and North America. The visual drama of
physical reconstruction makes this transition look swift and
decisive, but reimaging water is a slow process, punctuated by
small cultural shifts and informal spatial seizures that change
the meaning of wet urban spaces. In
Fifty years ago, urban waterfronts were industrial, polluted, and
diseased. Today, luxury homes and shops line riverbanks, harbors,
and lakes across Europe and North America. The visual drama of
physical reconstruction makes this transition look swift and
decisive, but reimaging water is a slow process, punctuated by
small cultural shifts and informal spatial seizures that change
the meaning of wet urban spaces. InThe Politics of Urban
Water
The Politics of Urban
Water, Kimberley Kinder explores how active residents in
Amsterdam deployed their cityscape when rallying around these
concerns, turning space into a vehicle for social reform.
, Kimberley Kinder explores how active residents in
Amsterdam deployed their cityscape when rallying around these
concerns, turning space into a vehicle for social reform.
While market dynamics certainly contributed to the transformation
of Amsterdam’s shorelines, squatters, partiers, artists,
historians, environmentalists, tourists, reporters, and
government officials also played crucial roles in bringing
waterscapes to life. Their interventions pulled water in new
directions, connecting it to political discussions about
affordable housing, cultural tolerance, climate change, and
national identity. Over time, these political valences have
become embedded in laws, norms, symbols, markets, and landscapes,
bringing rich undercurrents of friction to urban shores.
Amsterdam’s development serves as both an inspiration and a
cautionary tale for cities across Europe and North America where
rapid new growth creates similar pressures and anxieties.
While market dynamics certainly contributed to the transformation
of Amsterdam’s shorelines, squatters, partiers, artists,
historians, environmentalists, tourists, reporters, and
government officials also played crucial roles in bringing
waterscapes to life. Their interventions pulled water in new
directions, connecting it to political discussions about
affordable housing, cultural tolerance, climate change, and
national identity. Over time, these political valences have
become embedded in laws, norms, symbols, markets, and landscapes,
bringing rich undercurrents of friction to urban shores.
Amsterdam’s development serves as both an inspiration and a
cautionary tale for cities across Europe and North America where
rapid new growth creates similar pressures and anxieties.