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Hydrocitizenship is a three year project (2014-2017) that combines academic research with community participation and creative activities. It will help us to reflect on the notion of citizenship in relation to environmental (and especially water-related) concerns and how this can move us towards a more sustainable society.
The project is about looking at how individuals and communities relate to water and the issues associated with it; how these were dealt with in the past; current environmental concerns and conflicts and future resilience in the face of change. Relationships within communities and between communities can be developed through exploring the stories of past and current relationships between people and water.
Water is a fundamental resource for society, and at present a range of challenging water issues face communities in the UK and internationally. These include concerns about flooding, sea level rise, climate change, drought and supply security, water quality, biodiversity and landscape quality, access for recreation, water and energy, effective urban drainage, and waste management.
There are four case study areas: the lower Dyfi catchment in the Ceredigion part of the Dyfi Biosphere; Bristol the Lee Valley in London; and Shipley in West Yorkshire. Each case study area has a team that includes academics, artists and community practitioners, who will share skills, methods and experience and who will work closely with the people in their study areas.
We want to start conversations about water. Locally, we want to understand what is important to people and who would like to be involved in expressing this creatively. We expect to involve professional artists and makers in this. We hope that this attention will not only increase understanding but inform and inspire actions (outside of this project) that respond to the issues raised.
To keep in touch with events and developments, let us know you’re interested through one or more of the following ways:
Join the conversation at www.hydrocitizens.com
Lee Valley
The Lee Valley Hydrocitizenship case study incorporates London’s ‘second river’ and regional park, stretching from the home counties north of London to the new Olympic Park and major regeneration sites.
The River Lea (or Lee) originates in Marsh Farm, Luton in the Chiltern Hills and flows south to London where it meets the River Thames. The name of the River Lea was first recorded in the 9th century, although is believed to be much older, derived from a Celtic 'bright river' or 'river dedicated to the god Lugus’. For much of its distance the river runs within or as a boundary to the Lee Valley Park. The Lea also feeds the New River, an artificial waterway opened in 1613 to supply London with fresh drinking water. Downstream from Enfield Lock the river is joined by the River Lee Flood Relief Channel. The concrete-banked watercourse , known as the River Lee Diversion, passes to the east of the two Chingford Reservoirs; and to the west of the Banbury Reservoir at Walthamstow. At Tottenham Hale there are the inter-connected Lockwood, High and Low Maynard and Walthamstow Reservoirs, and the East and West Warwick Reservoirs. The river also passes the Three Mills, a restored tidal mill near Bow. South of Hackney Wick the river's course is split, running almost completely in man-made channels and canals, originally created to power water mills, flowing through an area that was once a thriving industrial zone with a legacy of manufacturing and water engineering structures. Around Hackney Wick there is a high concentration of artists and an annual arts festival, Hackney WICKed, and the waterways now host a growing boat dweller population. This area, post the London2012 Olympics, is set to increase in population fourfold as new urban villages are built and new communities are established over the next 10-15 years.
The riparian Lee Valley Regional Park is a 10,000-acre, 26 miles long linear park, much of it green spaces, running through the northeast of London, Essex and Hertfordshire in an area generally known as the Lea Valley. London's largest park is more than four times the size of Richmond Park, extending beyond London's borders into the neighbouring counties. The park is managed by Lee Valley Regional Park Authority and is made up of a diverse mix of countryside areas, urban green spaces, heritage sites, country parks, nature reserves and lakes and riverside trails, as well as sports centres, including riding, boating, ice skating, cycling.
The Hydrocitizenship Lee Valley team have walked the length of the Lea, in stages, documenting its characteristics and adding to the rich history of this changing environment - see http://lndn.blogspot.co.uk/2009_08_01_lndn_archive.html. Our community partners in the project are the London Legacy Development Corporation (www.londonlegacy.co.uk) and the Lee Valley Park (www.leevalleypark.org.uk) and we are currently working with local groups around Hackney Wick/Fish Island and Walthamstow Wetlands, including the Hackney Wick Cultural Interest Group and London Wildlife Trust.
The project is about looking at how individuals and communities relate to water and the issues associated with it; how these were dealt with in the past; current environmental concerns and conflicts and future resilience in the face of change. Relationships within communities and between communities can be developed through exploring the stories of past and current relationships between people and water.
Water is a fundamental resource for society, and at present a range of challenging water issues face communities in the UK and internationally. These include concerns about flooding, sea level rise, climate change, drought and supply security, water quality, biodiversity and landscape quality, access for recreation, water and energy, effective urban drainage, and waste management.
There are four case study areas: the lower Dyfi catchment in the Ceredigion part of the Dyfi Biosphere; Bristol the Lee Valley in London; and Shipley in West Yorkshire. Each case study area has a team that includes academics, artists and community practitioners, who will share skills, methods and experience and who will work closely with the people in their study areas.
We want to start conversations about water. Locally, we want to understand what is important to people and who would like to be involved in expressing this creatively. We expect to involve professional artists and makers in this. We hope that this attention will not only increase understanding but inform and inspire actions (outside of this project) that respond to the issues raised.
To keep in touch with events and developments, let us know you’re interested through one or more of the following ways:
Join the conversation at www.hydrocitizens.com
Lee Valley
The Lee Valley Hydrocitizenship case study incorporates London’s ‘second river’ and regional park, stretching from the home counties north of London to the new Olympic Park and major regeneration sites.
The River Lea (or Lee) originates in Marsh Farm, Luton in the Chiltern Hills and flows south to London where it meets the River Thames. The name of the River Lea was first recorded in the 9th century, although is believed to be much older, derived from a Celtic 'bright river' or 'river dedicated to the god Lugus’. For much of its distance the river runs within or as a boundary to the Lee Valley Park. The Lea also feeds the New River, an artificial waterway opened in 1613 to supply London with fresh drinking water. Downstream from Enfield Lock the river is joined by the River Lee Flood Relief Channel. The concrete-banked watercourse , known as the River Lee Diversion, passes to the east of the two Chingford Reservoirs; and to the west of the Banbury Reservoir at Walthamstow. At Tottenham Hale there are the inter-connected Lockwood, High and Low Maynard and Walthamstow Reservoirs, and the East and West Warwick Reservoirs. The river also passes the Three Mills, a restored tidal mill near Bow. South of Hackney Wick the river's course is split, running almost completely in man-made channels and canals, originally created to power water mills, flowing through an area that was once a thriving industrial zone with a legacy of manufacturing and water engineering structures. Around Hackney Wick there is a high concentration of artists and an annual arts festival, Hackney WICKed, and the waterways now host a growing boat dweller population. This area, post the London2012 Olympics, is set to increase in population fourfold as new urban villages are built and new communities are established over the next 10-15 years.
The riparian Lee Valley Regional Park is a 10,000-acre, 26 miles long linear park, much of it green spaces, running through the northeast of London, Essex and Hertfordshire in an area generally known as the Lea Valley. London's largest park is more than four times the size of Richmond Park, extending beyond London's borders into the neighbouring counties. The park is managed by Lee Valley Regional Park Authority and is made up of a diverse mix of countryside areas, urban green spaces, heritage sites, country parks, nature reserves and lakes and riverside trails, as well as sports centres, including riding, boating, ice skating, cycling.
The Hydrocitizenship Lee Valley team have walked the length of the Lea, in stages, documenting its characteristics and adding to the rich history of this changing environment - see http://lndn.blogspot.co.uk/2009_08_01_lndn_archive.html. Our community partners in the project are the London Legacy Development Corporation (www.londonlegacy.co.uk) and the Lee Valley Park (www.leevalleypark.org.uk) and we are currently working with local groups around Hackney Wick/Fish Island and Walthamstow Wetlands, including the Hackney Wick Cultural Interest Group and London Wildlife Trust.
