Canal Imperial de Aragón, the functionality of a water infrastructure and the inheritance of a traditional agriculture landscape in Spain

Abstract

Canal Imperial de Aragón is one of the most significant hydraulic infrastructures in Europe and probable one of the most ambitious projects in the history of Aragón region. This work analyzes the main elements that characterize this infrastructure, including symbolic constructions such as locks and historic buildings, to provide objective reasoning of how these elements have shaped the region’s cultural heritage. In addition, this study reconstructs the hierarchy and topological dependencies of the elements that comprise the canal’s current irrigation network. The findings contribute to clarify the canal’s role as a cultural and territorial asset, while also identifying current actions aimed at ensuring balanced water management without compromising this peri-urban landscape.