Free Rain
The human body is largely composed of water and its intimate connection to the blue planet doesn’t stop with the flush of a toilet.
It comes from above and is often a source of grief: too much or not enough. Today it is pouring and 4C, the temperature where water is at its highest molecular density. Water is a big item for cities. Not only do we have to find a source, clean it up for potable use and then distribute it, but we also have to dispose of it afterwards. Black or grey, waste water treatment is a costly and difficult issue. Just think of cities like Halifax and Victoria that dump their untreated wastewater directly into the ocean. Although Montréal has a large and sophisticated sewage treatment plant at the east end of the island, the City still averages about 22 discharges of untreated sewage directly into the Saint Lawrence River each year. When it rains too much the system cannot process all of the water and thus the problem is passed on to the fishes, whales, and other cities downstream. Yes, that is the water from our homes, hospitals, factories, rooftops, and polluted streets.
Humans love being near water. The world’s major cities are all located along the side of a river, lake, sea, or ocean. Water represents transportation, life, food, and health. Our parks often contain water and many people take walks along river banks, canals, and beaches. Fountains and ponds bring water into urban spaces and often form the centre of such places. Bridges, boardwalks, beaches, and quays, offer us connections to water where we can spend time simply watching the current or the ebb and flow of the tide.
The new neighbourhood of Hammarby, Stockholm, Sweden
Waterfront, Copenhagen, Denmark
I remember learning about Bolivia and its water catastrophe whilst watching the documentary, The Corporation (2003) Directed by Mark Achbar and Jennifer Abbott. The government privatised the country’s water systems. All water became a commodity and what struck me was that the citizens did not even have the right to collect rain water from the roofs of their own homes. Water had become a private good and subject to usage fees. Furthermore, the population protested and the protests became bloody when government forces intervened. This is just the backdrop to the current global debate about fresh water resources and who ultimately has the rights to them. How many of you buy bottled water?
Who owns this?
Water puts us in touch with ritual, purification, and sound. Outside, the weather gives us rain, ice, and snow. The rain cleans our oil-slicked streets by evacuating the pollutants into the sewage system. Rain fills our lakes and rivers and also nourishes vegetation, but when its pH is too low, acid rain harms water bodies and plants. We hear the rain as it patters against the leaves of trees or the roofs of homes. When warm and dry inside, listening to the rain often gives us a cosy feeling especially on a Sunday morning all tucked up in bed.
On the trail of le P’tit train du nord in the Laurentides 2006
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Tags: Urban Design
Montreal Apartments
Christopher DeWolf says:
One of the things that strikes me about Montreal is how it ignores the fact that it is an island. At least, that’s how it seems everywhere but on the West Island’s lakeshore. There used to be 22 beaches around the island but they have all been closed except for one at Cap St. Jacques.
Now that the St. Lawrence is clean enough to swim in again, it would be nice to see a renewed emphasis on interaction with the water surrounding this city.
November 16th, 2006 at 9:35 pm