Observing the Third Landscape. Six Episodes of Intervention in the Dry Meander of the Cardener River

In 1999 the water-table of the river Cardener on its flow through the Saline Valley in Cardona dropped to the level of the potash mine galleries underneath, leading to the construction of a bypass tunnel and forcing the river to skip a 3 km-long stretch nowadays known as the “dry meander of the Cardener”. Divided in three parts, this Master Thesis focuses on the past, present and potential future dynamics in the meander, and explores possible interventions that enhance the value of its multiple landscapes.
Despite the multiple attempts to tame its natural processes, the dry meander of the Cardener has continued evolving as a space outside of the interest of Cardona’s inhabitants. While the first part of the project focuses on understanding the past processes that led to the current state of the meander, the second part is based on the identification and analysis of its present dynamics, to propose a set of strategic interventions that will foster, control, or trigger different responses in the evolution of the meander’s landscape.
Based on the identified dynamics and potentials, the last part of the project proposes different interventions in topography, water and vegetation that improve on the current ecological value of the site. Moreover, the proposal incorporates the construction of a minimum infrastructure of pathways as a way of enhancing the value of the meander and its character as a public space. This set of interventions is divided in six episodes which celebrate and foster the heterogeneity of landscapes in the meander, allowing this space to continue evolving at the same time it can be seen, crossed, and valued by its human inhabitants.