Beyond function – Water as a principle of equity, care, and urban and landscape identity
DOI:
https://doi.org/10.69143/2464-9309/1822025Keywords:
water architecture, urban design, responsive infrastructure, urban ecosystem, water equityAbstract
The issue of water is a challenge and a gamble, but inevitably, its governance must measure itself against a project for the future and the lessons of history. Approaching the future from within an emergency-driven perspective means grasping the articulated nature of an epochal problem and recognising the different technological and cultural perspectives that not only lead to solutions but also justify them. The contribution therefore investigates the ethical value of water as a design principle in contemporary design, highlighting the state of detachment of water infrastructures in the urban and landscape context. The results demonstrate a widespread field of experimentation, confirmed by the contemporary case studies presented, oriented towards overcoming the separation between infrastructure and urban landscape, redefining the role of design as an act of care and responsibility towards resources and inhabited places.
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Received: 10/09/2025; Revised: 26/10/2025; Accepted: 27/10/2025
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