The case of the 'water revolution' in Barcelona. From the preindustrial city to the environmental crisis

Abstract

The term 'revolution' has become usual to designate the great discontinuities that separate long periods of structural permanence. The long-term approach to Barcelona's water supply confirms a profound discontinuity, after millennia of great technological and environmental stability. So that, within the broad set of changes that we have agreed to label as 'industrial revolution', we can postulate the existence of a 'water revolution'. In fact, an unfinished transition of one hundred and fifty years that has radically transformed our daily lives and has led to the current environmental challenge.

However, addressing a case study does not simply seek to verify a previous theoretical scheme or a starting hypothesis. The purpose is to focus on a particular case that allows revealing specific contextual aspects, unforeseen relationships, changes in critical factors and new issues to take into account. With this intention, starting from a purely empirical investigation, the selection of the questions and their periodization are interpretative, and have the purpose of expanding the range of issues and contributing to the comparative approaches.