Levees in a Changing Environment: Flexible, Strategic Planning (PAP014331)

Código

PAP014331

Autores

Ellen Tromp, Joost Rengers, Hanne van den Berg, Ernest Pelders

Tema

Floods in a changing climate

Resumo

Water is wonderful and the Dutch love it! Yet there is much work to do. Now is the time to invest in plans to ensure the future safety and livability of the Netherlands. Implementation of several flood protection measures is already in full swing, with more flood safety programs scheduled to be executed over the following decade. However, the limits of the current approach have almost been reached. The Netherlands is already densely populated, while climate change leads to increased flood risk of highly vulnerable areas. The cost to implement measures is increasing, with available resources being under pressure. It is clear that innovations in addressing flood protection measures are necessary. In order to be able to anticipate potential floods by means of effective and efficient protection measures, a more integral approach is required. In other words, a combination must be made between flood protection and spatial developments/interventions. We observe that the current approach of dike reinforcements suffices for the time being, but is nevertheless sectoral. Nor is it sufficiently robust for the long term. Opportunities to integrate flood safety measures with other spatial plans seem few and hard to materialize. Processes and time periods are different between the two. In addition, policy making in public (national versus local) and public-private partnerships are hindered by steering (legal) frameworks, complex organizations (programs, projects) and a risk-averse attitude. There is an urge for more insight into the possibilities for an integrated and flexible approach to dike reinforcement in both time and space. A framework enabling multifunctional levees, as part of this integral and flexible approach, has been developed and analyzed on the basis of several cases within the Netherlands both in urban and rural areas. In this paper this framework is addressed and more insights are given into new flexible strategic planning processes for both flood risk management and spatial planning.