THE MEMORY OF WATER: URBAN LIFE IN THE LAGOONS OF CONCEPCIÓN (CHILE)

Abstract

The urban lagoons of Concepción (Chile) have given the city a singular and representative identity since its founding. This article analyzes the historical relationship between the lagoons and the urban structure, based on four dimensions of the city: the planned, the built, the perceived, and the lived. The aim is to identify the moments when the lagoons were part of the lived city, as well as the factors that favored or hindered this integration. The research employed a historical method with a qualitative approach, drawing on primary sources (maps, regulatory plans, historical photographs, and Instagram records) and secondary sources (chronicles and stories), organized into five periods defined by the earthquakes that occurred between 1751 and 2010. Through the hypothetical reconstruction of five historical plans, the presence or absence of lagoons in the four dimensions analyzed was identified. The results show that, although they acquired symbolic and recreational value at certain times, their integration into the lived city has been fragmented and ephemeral, concentrating urban life in the historic center. It is concluded that the lagoons represent a strategic opportunity to expand the boundaries of the lived city, with the potential to generate micro-centralities and consolidate a green-blue infrastructure that rescues the memory of water.