Permanence and transformation of urban canals, regeneration strategies

Abstract

During the 18th and 19th centuries an extensive network of canals was built in Europe. Their development allowed the connection of the territory, where the points of exchange and conf luence of commercial routes formed activity centers. These places, first located on the periphery, soon began to define urban growth areas. Railways and automobiles caused the obsolescence of the canals as transport systems. In the cities, some were replaced for new roads, others remained in use as irrigation and supply canals and, in many other cases, they were neglected becoming both urban as social problematic areas. Using some representative examples, such as Milan, Paris, London and Zaragoza, the present paper analyses their transformation and the persistence of their design in the urban pattern. This permanence in the city has been essential for the revitalization of canals in recent decades. In 21th century, they have acquired broader values and uses beyond their initial function, becoming arguments for new strategies of urban regeneration and development. It is worth highlighting their value as heritage and characteristic paths of the cityscape, as well as their continuity as a system of urban open spaces and environmental corridors.