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This study suggests that water infrastructure is an important site to uncover “sociotechnical imaginaries” of society. Drawing on two case studies of Taipei and Kaohsiung, our analysis demonstrates how problems of water quality were conceived by Taiwanese state actors as an “unfinished” status of urban modernity. This imaginary of urban modernity has driven state actors to launch particular infrastructural improvement projects. With the aspiration to “catch up” Western modernity, the state has prioritized aesthetics and performances, choosing to make convenient fixes to acquire immediate effects in an attempt to ease public concerns. This only downplays root causes of urban metabolic challenges and diverts public attention from those fundamental solutions that entail persistent and long-term efforts. In the capital city of Taipei, the Drinking Straight from the Tap (DST) project focused more on public performance than taking measures such as pipe replacement, which would bring actual water quality improvements. In the industrial city of Kaohsiung, state actors pursued large-scale projects of upgrading water treatment plants to improve water quality and change citizens’ perceptions of water while downplaying the more fundamental solution of pollution control.

Water Infrastructure and the Imaginary of Unfinished Urban Modernity in Taiwan