HYDROSOCIAL

HYDROSOCIAL examines how climate emergency and recurring droughts are transforming urban water systems through the reconfiguration of hydrosocial cycles in the Llobregat and Besòs rivers, which supply the Metropolitan Area of Barcelona. Drawing on political ecology, human geography, and sociology, the project analyses the material, institutional, and discursive transformations associated with the large-scale expansion of indirect potable water reuse. By integrating the concepts of hydrosocial cycles, sociotechnical imaginaries, and futures‑in‑the‑making, HYDROSOCIAL explores how new water infrastructures reshape urban rivers, power relations, and social inequalities. Using a qualitative, comparative case-study approach, the project combines document analysis, interviews, ethnography, and stakeholder engagement to critically assess the implications of water reuse for climate resilience, governance, equity, and access. HYDROSOCIAL contributes theoretical and methodological advances to critical water studies while providing insights relevant to urban policy and climate adaptation in drought‑prone regions.