Expo Zaragoza 2008 :: Cities of water

'Cities of water'

"Cities of water"

Definition and architecture

It is located inside the Ebro Plaza and is the one located nearest to the river Ebro. In the same way as the “Oikos” and “Shared Water” themed plazas”, the “Water and the City” plaza is an exposition installation. This is why it has no walls, and its contents are visible from outside.

Exposition: "Cities of water"

Its main process refers to water as an “urban resource”, underlining the great value of this natural element in the process of improving quality of life in cities. The importance of a change of attitude among citizens to revalue the relationship of water in the city is highlighted.

The four main ideas that we wish to transmit to the visitors using the contents of this plaza are:

• Water as an urban spectacle. It is a question of reminding visitors that water has been used in the past and is still used as an element for creating the urban landscape. In the future, cities will be capable, thanks to water, of improving quality of life and becoming more beautiful.
• Water rediscovered. Reflects on the different projects to reform and revitalise that cities have used in recent years to improve their relationships with waterfronts. Renewing direct contact with the riverbank, the sea and the lake.
• Water as our friend. Here we present examples of innovative solutions for protecting some risks to water in the urban area.
• Future water. Significant cases are put for building new cities or expanding urban centres on water. The examples shown have been chosen because of their special extreme, unusual or innovative characteristics.