In this article we unpack the infrastructural imaginary of urban residents in a neighbourhood in the northern periphery of Accra in Ghana, focussing on drainage. Based on interviews and observations, we describe how residents characterise their neighbourhood’s development as a linear progression in stages, each marked by the completion of different infrastructures. Our analysis brings out the visceral and affective underpinnings of infrastructure imaginaries, showing how residents sense their environment and attempt to change it. On the one hand, the aspiration towards linear neighbourhood development results in the stigmatisation of residents – referred to as ‘squatters’ even if they rent – some of whose practices are deemed unhygienic and who are therefore considered out of place. On the other hand, everyday interactions and mutual interdependence provide the foundation for collaboration and compromises across social divides. Studying how aspirations translate into neighbourhood development, we argue, requires that we engage with infrastructure as both political and pragmatic.

中文翻译：

---

下水道政治：阿克拉基础设施想象的日常谈判

在本文中，我们解开了加纳阿克拉北部边缘社区城市居民的基础设施想象，重点关注排水系统。根据访谈和观察，我们描述了居民如何将其社区的发展描述为分阶段的线性发展，每个阶段都以不同基础设施的完成为标志。我们的分析揭示了基础设施想象的内在和情感基础，展示了居民如何感知他们的环境并试图改变它。一方面，对线性社区发展的渴望导致了居民的污名化——即使他们租房，也被称为“擅自占地者”——他们的一些做法被认为不卫生，因此被认为不合适。另一方面，日常互动和相互依赖为跨越社会鸿沟的合作和妥协提供了基础。我们认为，研究愿望如何转化为社区发展需要我们以政治和务实的态度参与基础设施建设。