Water and modernization styles: measuring territorial knowledge based on water management policies in Santiago de Querétaro (Mexico)

This paper explores the relation that the inhabitants of an urban space, in this case the city of Querétaro, Mexico, establish with the water supply system. In particular, it seeks to understand the way in which the supply-side policies are configuring the relation that subjects keep with the territory around them. For this purpose, four variables (educational level, land value, housing legal status and development goals) are crossed with the existing knowledge about the water supply system, paying special attention to the differences among different city areas. The final goal is to understand how water modernization policies are affecting the links between subjects and territories. The results express that in the areas where those policies are more deeply consolidated, the links with territory are weaker, generating weakness in the ability to articulate management alternatives. Another weakness lies in the ability to create a much more active role of the subjects in their relation with water and its management as a basic resource.