Carola Hein
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Carola Hein is Professor and Chair History of Architecture and Urban Planning at Delft University of Technology, and Professor at Leiden and Erasmus universities. She holds the UNESCO Chair Water, Ports and Historic Cities and director of the Leiden-Delft-Erasmus PortCityFutures Centre. She has published widely in the field of architectural, urban and planning history and has tied historical analysis to contemporary development. Among other major grants, she received a Guggenheim fellowship, an Alexander von Humboldt fellowship and Volkswagen Foundation grants for a mixed method digital humanities projects. Her many honors include the Sarton Medal in 2020, awarded to an outstanding scholar in the history of science. She serves as President of the International Planning History Society (IPHS).
In September 2024, Carola Hein joins the Paris IAS for a 10-month research residency. She holds the "Major Changes" chair, created in collaboration with Sorbonne University, on the theme of water and heritage.
Research Interests
History of Architecture and Urban Planning, Water and Heritage, Port City Territories, Value-based Approaches, Adaptive Strategies
A Value Case Approach for Water and Heritage through the Lens of Paris and the Ile-de-France
The research explores the deep history of natural water systems that support Paris and its region—notably the Seine River and its tributaries—the multiple layers of cultural interventions for and with water—shipping, water for drinking, sewage, leisure, etc.--, and the practices of living with water—agricultural, shipping, rituals, etc.—to map the spatial, social and cultural water-based relations between Paris and its surroundings. This mapping will be used to identify different water heritage sites and practices, i.e. governance, agriculture, health, leisure, etc. and explore their relationship. Connecting the extensive and diverse research on Parisian water systems—natural, cultural and its intangible practices—with relevant partners in Paris and the Ile de France, holds the potential of (re)launching a much-needed debate on water systems design. This research aims to help establish a better understanding of water and heritage, past, present and future by connecting professional water practices to the public and linking the study of water heritage to the exploration of water management and its past may help increase water awareness and facilitate the emergence of shared approaches to valuing water and heritage--of tangible structures and intangible practices that may derive from living with water. A first lesson to learn from historic practices may be to respect water in the everyday, pragmatically, emotionally, and perhaps also spiritually.
Key Publications
Hein, Carola (ed.), Adaptive Strategies for Water Heritage, Springer, 2020
https://books.google.de/books/about/Adaptive_Strategies_for_Water_Heritage.html?id=P423DwAAQBAJ&printsec=frontcover&source=kp_read_button&redir_esc=y#v=onepage&q&f=false
Carola Hein, "Toward a Research and Action Agenda on Water and Heritage? A First Attempt at Refining Terminologies, Concepts and Priorities", Blue Papers Vol. 2, Nr 1, 2023
https://bluepapers.nl/index.php/bp/article/view/53
Hein, Carola, Yvonne van Mil, Lucija Azman Momirski, Port City Atlas: Mapping European Port City Territories: From Understanding to Design, nai010, 2023
https://www.nai010.com/en/publicaties/port-city-atlas/246049
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