New Professor of Delta Urbanism: “More focus is needed on the role of design in flood risk management in deltas”
The Netherlands has been world-renowned for decades as one of the leading countries when it comes to knowledge of flood risk management and spatial planning. “Our strategy of connecting both themes and adopting a cohesive view of them has received widespread praise. But in recent years, we appear to have lost that connection in the Netherlands; our tradition of managing spatial planning at the state level has been abandoned,” says Chris Zevenbergen who has been part-time professor of Delta Urbanism in the Faculty of Architecture and the Built Environment since February.
“Although the Dutch Delta initially served as our living lab, the focus has now become much more global. Is it time for a radical reinvention of the role of design in our current flood risk management strategy? What can we learn from experiences elsewhere? These will be essential questions if we are to develop evidence-based plans that enjoy widespread support and enable us to prepare for the future in time.”
Bridge-building and collaboration
Zevenbergen’s brief is to reintroduce ‘delta design’ and in doing so forge a better link between flood risk management and spatial planning. Zevenbergen also holds the chair in Flood Resilience in the Coastal and Urban Risk and Resilience department of IHE Delft, and is part of the CEG Hydraulic Engineering group. This means he is perfectly placed to build bridges and strengthen collaboration in flood risk management in civil engineering and spatial design.
Chris Zevenbergen
Global field
Zevenbergen spends a lot of time in other countries. He is a visiting lecturer at two universities in China and a member of the Delta Alliance, an international knowledge and network organisation with a mission to improve the resilience of the world’s deltas. “I’m currently project director at DeltaCAP. This programme, funded by the Dutch government, aims to support the capacity development required to implement the Bangladesh Deltaplan 2100.
For more than 25 years, I’ve been involved in all kinds of international projects and studies dealing with water-sensitive urban issues and urban flood risk management. The increasing pressure caused by population growth, industrialisation and a changing climate means it’s more important than ever for vulnerable deltas to increase their resilience in the face of changing circumstances.
Everywhere faces the mammoth task of implementing rapid change and improving sustainability. Many countries are making faster progress than the Netherlands. Here, systems are becoming outdated and require renewal. That means we’re now less flexible and adaptive than deltas elsewhere. But the maintenance effort required here also creates opportunities.”
Reintroduction of spatial design
“I’ve had a lot of discussions lately. I sense a strong need to give delta design a renewed boost, but also see an opportunity for real improvements in methodology, to make it fit for the needs of tomorrow. In recent decades, traditional spatial planning, with its policy documents and designated ministry, has fallen by the wayside. This not only means that the power of spatial design has been pushed into the background, but its effect in addressing flood risk management has also diminished.
The role of spatial design in Delta Urbanism is multi-dimensional. It’s all about identifying (and creating) scenarios for sustainable and safe deltas and about connecting and generating support as we pursue that route. But accelerating and upscaling the process of change involves raising the issue and engaging in political persuasion. That’s why it’s important to strengthen the image of Delta Urbanism both internally and externally.
The role of design has moved in waves. Between 1990 and 2010, design was seen more as a process of exploration, visualising a future that is yet to come. Design studios were very much in vogue. Resilience and approaching risk from different spatial levels of scale became important themes, as did the need for a strong, civil-engineering evidence base to back them up. How could we increase resilience? What if systems were to fail? And what was happening at local level?”
Transition period
“That multi-faceted, coordinating role has gone. Recent call from experts in the field for a Minister of Spatial Planning in the new Cabinet should come as no surprise. We seem to have ended up in a period of transition. We have a shared sense of urgency that has grown steadily in recent years. The same applies to the idea that we face a future that calls for system changes. But we can also see opportunities for linking flood risk management to other sectors, such as housing construction, agriculture and energy. Not only in the Netherlands, but in other deltas. The advances we need to make are becoming bigger all the time and that calls for a lot of preparation and a long run-up in order to get started in good time.”“That multi-faceted, coordinating role has gone. Recent call from experts in the field for a Minister of Spatial Planning in the new Cabinet should come as no surprise. We seem to have ended up in a period of transition. We have a shared sense of urgency that has grown steadily in recent years. The same applies to the idea that we face a future that calls for system changes. But we can also see opportunities for linking flood risk management to other sectors, such as housing construction, agriculture and energy. Not only in the Netherlands, but in other deltas. The advances we need to make are becoming bigger all the time and that calls for a lot of preparation and a long run-up in order to get started in good time.”
Anticipating together
Despite the urgency of ensuring that the Netherlands is protected against flooding in the future, and prepared for weather extremes, Zevenbergen is positive and optimistic about the Dutch approach. ”Our Delta programme has a unique approach in which delta works are not seen as concrete, iron and steel structures, but also as an institution involving various layers of administration and different stakeholders. That includes central government, municipalities, water authorities and the public. It places us in a very strong position when it comes to anticipating rapidly changing circumstances in our heavily urbanised Delta. Leading institutes, such as TU Delft and other universities, are also relatively close together. We are joining forces with an amazing network with incredible capacity. All of the world's deltas have their own specific, local characteristics. But we can also learn a lot from each other internationally. The importance of developing collective knowledge about the structure and planning of deltas is increasing all the time.”
Ambitions
“It would be great if I could be successful in giving a boost to the education and research developed in recent years in the Delta Urbanism research group, nudging it in the direction of delta design as an international discourse. That’s the rationale for the Journal for Delta Urbanism. The focus in the research group is on interdisciplinary design that strikes the right balance between creativity on the one hand and integrating the scientific evidence base within national policy and the international research field on the other.
Personally, I would like to set up this programme on two parallel tracks, with significant involvement from end-users. One track focusing on the Dutch Delta and another on an extremely dynamic delta, such as the Ganges.
I’m really looking forward to collaborating with the staff in the Urbanism department and further strengthening the Delta Urbanism research group. Delta Urbanism also forms a link between the faculties of Architecture and the Built Environment, TPM and Civil Engineering and has engaged in long-term collaboration in the cross-faculty research initiative on Delta Infrastructure and Mobility and the Delta Futures LAB across a range of various education and research projects. Together, I hope to build on that, nationally and globally, with a characteristic Delft signature.”