Water as Heritage. The extra-European case of the colonial archipelago-city of Saint-Louis du Sénégal

Water cities represent today a privileged scenario for the activation of important urban re-generation processes. such dynamics, starting from interventions on waterfronts, disused port areas, docks and banks, have the aim not only to revitalize degraded or abandoned portions of the urban fabric, but also to redeem that ancestral and fundamental bond between the city and its waters. the aquatic landscape –being rivers, seas, lakes or lagoons– contaminates the urban fabric with the fragility of its balance and, at the same time, it qualifies and enriches it with a unique charm. if to these broad matters we add the issues and characteristics of a sub-saharan african city, born as a French colony and now in search of its place within the international framework, the profile of Saint-Louis du Sénégal shapes out. Rich in history and culture, emerged from the delta of the Senegal river, this archipelago-city has lost its vital relationship with water, defending itself from such element and excluding it from the activities of everyday life. despite the transformed geo-political conditions, this unescO classified city could –and should– return to play its role of regional capital able to support a sustainable development process based mainly on: 1) empowering environmental policies capable of preserving and value the extraordinary local landscapes; 2) subsidize new forms of cultural and naturalistic tourism; 3) rationalize the use of soil resources (agriculture and food production) and fishing activities; 4) empower the role of the city as cultural hub, also thanks to the presence of an important university institution. The river element could represent the key factor within such interconnected strategies, as the balance among them constitutes the main challenge for a sustainable and dynamic urban development. this article will mostly explore the potentials of the river –as a natural element– within a specific urban environment as a functional and material resource as much as an aesthetic and immaterial one, trying to highlight strengths and weaknesses, possible strategies and actions.