Page - 3 - in The Power of Urban Water - Studies in premodern urbanism

1 Introduction 3 Fig. 1 tion thaturbanspacesaresociallyproduced spaces.Onthisbasis,heconsiders theexperienced space (espacevecu), theperceivedspace (espaceperçu), and the imaginedspace (espaceconçu) to bemutually interdependent.24We refer to this concept, but we differentiate the categories more indetail and include further analytical constituents (Fig. 1): urbanagencyandurbanper- ception, the architecturally andmaterially defined urban space, mental concepts of urbanity, materialand immaterial resources,andenvironment.Witha focusonurbanwater, this concept canbe further specified. 1)Practiceswithinurbanagglomerations referring towater includeabroad rangeofactivi- ties, including drinking and foodpreparation, specific forms ofmovement (shipping), produc- tiveactivities involvingwater,hygieneandmedicalpractices, leisureactivities suchasbathing, ritualssuchasbaptism,andceremonies.Thefollowingquestionswillbeof importance: Inwhat waydoes thepresenceorabsenceofwatergeneratespecific formsofurbanagency?Whateffect doesthepractical (e.g.cultic,ceremonial,hygienic) relevanceofwaterhaveonthearchitectural 24 A concise definition of Lefebvre’s concepts is given in Knox – Pinch 2010, 199: ‘Material spatial practices refer to the interactions and physical flows that occur in and across space as part of fundamental processes of economicproductionandsocial reproduction.Representationsof space includeall of the signs, symbols, codifi- cations andknowledge that allowmaterial spatial practices to be talked about andunderstood.Spacesof repre- sentation aremental constructs suchas utopianplans, imaginary landscapes, paintings and symbolic structures that imaginenewmeaningsorpossibilities for spatial practices’.