Increasing resilience to flooding is a complex process that requires horizontal and vertical coordination between institutions in policy making and implementation. This paper explores the effect of institutional coordination on managing flood risk in two cities plagued by flooding. Our results show that efforts on building urban flood resilience can be undermined by lack of proper coordination between urban development, water management and land use planning. We find that this complexity is magnified by the emergence of the concept of resilience as an urban development goal that is increasingly pursued by various authorities, but that is inherently contested in practice.@en

In February 1953, an extremely powerful northwest storm surge combined with spring tide led to serious floods in a number of countries around the North Sea. No country was hit as badly as the Netherlands. In the southwest of the country, dozens of dikes were breached, leading to over 1,800 casualties. At the time of the 1953 disaster, a government-appointed committee was working on an advisory report about the desired future spatial development of the most urbanized western part of the country, a region largely below sea level. Responding to the 1953 disaster, the committee discussed whether urban development in deep polders should be avoided. The conclusion was that what is best in terms of the desired urban morphology should prevail. This is indeed what happened when the government had to make a choice about where to develop new towns (1960s–1980s) and, in the next stage, where to locate new housing estates in and around cities (1990s–2000s). Near floods along the main rivers of the country in 1992 and 1995 opened a window of opportunity for a series of major changes in flood risk management and in spatial planning and design, respectively. A massive program called Room for the River was carried out, which included more than 30 projects designed by multidisciplinary teams of civil engineers, planners, and spatial designers. Parallel and follow-up programs were carried out in which spatial design again played a role. The concept of risk was redefined in law, leading to more stringent protection norms for densely populated areas—again, a spatial turn in flood risk management. When flood risk management started to take a decisive spatial turn in the 1990s, spatial planning began to change as well, becoming more sensitive to issues related to water management and flood risks. One of these changes involved the mandatory use of a water test in (local) plan making. The continuation of the trend to give greater weight to flood risks became interrupted as the multilevel arrangement of planning in the Netherlands started to change from 2010 onward. This was largely the result of the neoliberal ambition to decentralize and deregulate planning. One main effect was that the government no longer took a leading role in locational choices regarding where to build new housing estates outside cities and towns. By the end of 2021, the government-appointed Delta commissioner issued a stark warning that over 80% of the houses that will be built by 2030 are situated in less desirable locations. This and other effects of the downscaling of planning competencies made the government decide to start a trajectory to partly recentralize planning. There are two contradictory objectives, however, claimed by different government departments: the production of new homes as quickly as possible and the ambition to make water and soil leading in future choices. Bringing flood risk management and spatial planning together means that locational choices and the spatial design of localities have to move in tandem.@en

Due to the environmental crisis, there is a need for a more conscious and integrating design process within the field of urban infrastructure development. Through cooperation between civil engineering and spatial design resilience of the built environment can be increased. Delft University of Technology investigates interdisciplinary design as a method and incorporates this into its MSc-level education of students in the faculties of civil engineering and architecture. The focus of the research was on the reconstruction projects after disasters like hurricanes and tsunamis. By way of surveys of the participating students, the effectiveness of the interdisciplinary design methods used, and the interpretation of the terms multidisciplinary and interdisciplinary are revealed. From survey results about understanding of multidisciplinary and interdisciplinary it can be concluded that interdisciplinary design should entail a conscious and orchestrated process in which the disciplines present their ideas within a shared value system before systematic integration. The challenges are at personal and cognitive levels, an open attitude is necessary to be able to perceive and react, process and understand, retrieve information. Only then decisions on - and production of - appropriate responses come out of co-creation between engineering within the spatial design process.

@en

Planning for land use and the built environment is critical for flood resilience. Communities that acknowledge and plan for hazards throughout an integrated network of plans are generally more resilient than those where guidance conflicts and hazards are downplayed. Through the spatial evaluation of a community's network of plan documents, a Plan Integration for Resilience Scorecard (PIRS) analysis helps reveal where and how plans are coordinated or in conflict, and where opportunities exist to strengthen resilience. Originally developed in the United States, the method was applied in Rotterdam, Nijmegen, and Dordrecht as part of a National Science Foundation Partnerships for International Research and Education grant. The studies were an occasion for comparisons and knowledge-building, testing the PIRS in a new hazard and planning context, facilitating its continued development, and providing a novel perspective on Dutch plan integration and resilience as the country adjusts to new planning and water management challenges.

@en

The incentive for this publication was to expand the realm of enquiry around the topic of Building with Nature (BwN), for two main reasons. First to gain an interdisciplinary, and therefore deeper, understanding of BwN as an object of study. Secondly, but no less important, is an understanding of how different forms of knowledge contribute to our learning regarding BwN. When we understand the contribution of several academic disciplines and knowledge from practice, we may eventually get to the point where we can identify how they can collaborate successfully to contribute to BwN as an interdisciplinary field.@en

This publication offers an overview of the latest cross-disciplinary developments in the field of Building with Nature (BwN) for the protection of coastal regions. The key philosophy of BwN is the employment of natural processes to serve societal goals, such as flood safety. The starting point is a systems-based approach, making interventions that employ the shaping forces of the natural system to perform measures by self-regulation. Initial pilots of this innovative approach originate from coastal engineering, with the Sand Motor along the coast of South Holland as one of the prime examples. From here, the BwN approach has evolved into a new generation of nature-based hydraulic solutions, such as mangrove forests, coastal reefs, and green dikes.@en

This chapter explains when and why the Randstad’s contemporary spatial configuration developed. It traces the historical process of spatial transformation from the Middle Ages until the end of the twentieth century with the discernible trends being centre stage. The chapter describes spatial transformation in three consecutive governmental stages: the Middle Ages, the Early Modern age and the threshold to the Modern Era. As in many urban regions in Europe, the Randstad towns were a medieval creation. In the Randstad territory only Utrecht had evolved into a town in the very early Middle Ages. The Randstad configuration with four dominant towns – Amsterdam, Rotterdam, The Hague and Utrecht in this order – had become a fact. Medieval government contributed to the rise of this spatial configuration in several ways – and with various motives. In the hostile political environment of the late Middle Ages, local lords were forced into a continuous quest for ways to survive.@en

Many people associate Building with Nature with its flagship project, the Sand Motor. This mega-nourishment redefined the role of natural processes in civil engineering projects, demonstrating that instead of ‘do no harm’ as the highest possible supporting goal of coastal infrastructure, the design could incorporate natural processes to attain societal and ecological goals. As such, the Sand Motor represents a key example of the integrated design of civil infrastructures. In this contribution, we pursue an improved understanding of the integrated design of civil infrastructures, by comparing the illustrative example of the Sand Motor against a framework based on transport infrastructures and the occasional flood defence. It turns out that application of a framework from one domain to another - a conscious act of interdisciplinary learning - results in a modification of that framework. Although the domain of Building with Nature fits well with many existing attributes of integrated design for civil infrastructures (the life cycle approach, adaptive design and adding functionalities), its key attribute (dynamics) adds a unique box to the integrality index. This intellectual effort raises two issues. It demonstrates that our understanding of integrated design is rather specific for different infrastructure-domains. Second, it is likely that the bandwidth of uncertainty that is key to the incorporation of natural processes in infrastructure design, and the changing behaviour of the structure itself in the maintenance phase, has implications for the governance regime of such infrastructures.@en

Along with unprecedented urbanization in the last few decades, cities have experienced rapid social and economic transformation in China. A major challenge facing urban authorities in the immediate future is how to plan and govern cities such that they can serve as inclusive systems where everyone is enabled and empowered to fully participate in and contribute to socioeconomic life. A first step towards realizing this is to conceptualize an integrated framework that allows analysts and decision-makers to delineate, evaluate, and guide the development of these cities towards inclusiveness. In this study, we conducted a conceptual analysis of urban inclusiveness and then proposed a multidimensional framework for the evaluation of inclusive development. This is followed by the presentation of the case of Xiong'an, for which inclusive development indicators (IDIs) were selected. By comparing the state before the establishment of Xiong'an with its current development progress, and analyzing the area's management structure and policy measures, the inclusive development challenges are identified. Subsequently, suggestions are given on how to direct Xiong'an toward higher levels of inclusiveness, including offering equal access to public services and employment opportunities, preserving environmental health and sustainable use of natural resources through waste recycling, and encouraging public participation in decision-making to bring higher levels of inclusion within reach.

@en

Problem, research strategy, and findings: In this study we analyze plan integration for flood resilience in the city of Nijmegen, the site of the largest Room for the River project in The Netherlands. Little is known about the degree to which local and regional plans are coordinated with the national Room for the River program or about the cumulative influence of plans on flood vulnerability. To effectively investigate these issues, we use and build upon the Plan Integration for Resilience Scorecard (PIRS) concept and method, which analyzes the consistency and effects of networks of plans on community vulnerability. We expand the scope to include plans from multiple administrative scales and the focus to include environmental vulnerability. Using a three-phase evaluation process, we demonstrate that Room for the River policies are well integrated in Nijmegen’s network of plans, particularly with respect to flood safety and natural protection. However, we also find that policies at different administrative scales lack consistency in some places, some socially vulnerable neighborhoods receive comparatively little policy attention, and local plans often prioritize development over flood resilience, though higher tier plans sometimes make up for these policy gaps. Flood resilience is still finding its way in the Dutch planning system. Takeaway for practice: The PIRS offers planning practitioners a method to assess how networks of plans influence community vulnerability and, as demonstrated in this analysis, to determine the degree to which plans at multiple administrative scales target the most physically, socially, and environmentally vulnerable geographic areas. It can be used to support the ambitious goals of a program like Room for the River and align them with local development priorities.

@en

This report is the result of a symposium organised by the department of Urbanism of the Faculty of Architecture and the Built Environment of the TU Delft on May 14 2018. with the objective to discuss ideas, methodologies and challenges of a planning and design education for water resilient cities.@en

This report summarises the findings of the JPI Heritage Plus PICH Project’s nvestigation of the impact of the reform of urban planning on the historic built environment. The project team conducted twelve in-depth case studies in Italy, the Netherlands, Norway and the UK covering three settings: the built heritage of historic urban cores, former industrial areas and the urban landscape. The findings are more fully reported in three comparative reports which compare findings for each setting in the four countries; in four national reports which look across the three settings in one country; and 12 case study reports.@en

Rising damages from hazard events have led to calls for innovative research on resilience. Consistent integration of mitigation policies throughout a community's network of plans is increasingly seen as essential for effective resilience planning. To better understand coordination and conflicts in policy responses to flood hazards, this study evaluates a district in the city of Rotterdam, the Netherlands, using the Plan Integration for Resilience Scorecard method. An internationally recognized leader in resilience and water management, Rotterdam is nevertheless vulnerable to flooding, especially in a changing climate. Findings demonstrate that even a place as proactive in resilience policy as Rotterdam can benefit from the perspective gained using the scorecard technique. Although resilience is generally supported throughout the study area, conflicts remain. The scorecard reveals inconsistencies and opportunities to further reduce flood vulnerability by ‘mainstreaming’ resilience policies in the most influential plans.

@en

After five years of exchange programmes across the Atlantic, Texas research veterans Nikki Brand (spatial planning), Antonia Sebastian (urban hydrology) and Baukje Kothuis (anthropology) assess the accomplishments of the Dutch Delta Approach in the Houston-Galveston Bay region. Looking at the academic discourse, the public debate and the design of a flood defense along Galveston island, they conclude that the approach has worked.@en

Various interesting tools were used and/or developed to stimulate knowledge integration in the Multifunctional Flood Defenses program. This chapter will present a diverse collection of these tools, hopefully stimulating others to consider using some of them in future.@en

Eind augustus trof orkaan Harvey de staten Texas en Louisiana. Harvey kwam vanaf de Golf van Mexico aan land als een storm van de vierde categorie met windsnelheden tot aan 250 km/u. Stormvloed en hoge windsnelheden zorgden voor schade aan de Texaanse zuidwestkust rondom de plaats Rockport. Maar de grootste gevolgen waren te betreuren in het gebied rondom Houston. Houston is het centrum van Amerikaanse olie- en gasindustrie, en met meer dan zes miljoen inwoners de vierde stad van de Verenigde Staten. De regio wordt gekenmerkt door een cultuur die gericht is op het stimuleren van economische groei door privaat initiatief, een sterk verspreide bebouwing en een beperkte inzet van dijken, stormvloedkeringen en overloopreservoirs. Omdat Harvey gedurende meerdere dagen boven Houston bleef hangen kreeg de stadsregio nog nooit vertoonde hoeveelheden regen te verwerken: op sommige plekken kwam wel 1,5 meter water naar beneden. Als gevolg van de storm overleden tientallen mensen en overstroomden meer dan 120.000 gebouwen. De schade zal naar verwachting boven de 70 miljard dollar uitstijgen. In dit artikel gaan we in op de eerste bevindingen over deze ramp en de lessen voor Nederland. Dat doen we aan de hand van de drie sporen van meerlaagsveiligheid: preventie, gevolgbeperking en crisisbeheersing.@en

Can the recent rise of Dutch multifunctional flood defenses be explained by the increased integration between the water and spatial planning sectors, which compels Water Boards to collaborate with municipalities? An enquiry into the changing relations between water managers and municipalities as a result of changes in spatial and water-management regulations starting in the 1980s, and particularly since 2000s, indicates this hypothesis to be wrong. @en

On August 25, 2017, Hurricane Harvey made landfall near Rockport, Texas as a Category 4 hurricane with maximum sustained winds of approximately 200 km/hour. Harvey caused severe damages in coastal Texas due to extreme winds and storm surge, but will go down in history for record-setting rainfall totals and flood-related damages. Across large portions of southeast Texas, rainfall totals during the six-day period between August 25 and 31, 2017 were amongst the highest ever recorded, causing flooding at an unprecedented scale. More than 100,000 residential properties are estimated to have been affected in southeast Texas. It is likely that Harvey will rank among the costliest storms in U.S. history. In the wake of Hurricane Harvey, Delft University of Technology has initiated a Harvey Research Team to undertake a coordinated multidisciplinary investigation of the events with a focus on the greater Houston area. This ‘fact-finding’ research is based on information available from public sources during and in the first weeks after the event. Results are therefore preliminary, but aim to provide insight into lessons that can be learned for both Texas and the Netherlands. As part of the investigations, a hackathon with more than 80 participants was organized to collect and analyze available public information. Houston was especially hard hit by flooding. During the event, all 22 watersheds in the greater Houston area experienced flooding. Many of Houston’s creeks and bayous exceeded their channel capacities, reaching water levels never before recorded. Across large portions of Harris County, rainfall totals exceeded the 1000-year return period. In addition, the water from the two reservoirs protecting downtown Houston (Addicks and Barker) were opened on August 28 to prevent catastrophic damages to the dams and further flooding in upstream communities. The releases exacerbated flooding in the areas downstream of the dams and an estimated 4,000 homes in neighborhoods downstream of the dams were impacted by flooding. The consequences of the event in the greater Houston area have been characterized in terms of economic damages, loss of life and impacts on critical infrastructure, airports and industry. In total, more than 100,000 homes were affected more than 70 fatalities were reported in the greater Houston area. The event highlighted the vulnerability of industrial facilities, as several cascading impacts (releases of toxic materials and explosions) were reported. Emergency response has been assessed. No large-scale mandatory evacuation was ordered before or during Harvey. However, it appeared that several local evacuations were ordered for areas with specific risks and circumstances. During the event, many people were trapped by rising waters necessitating a major rescue operation. In total, more than 10,000 rescues were made by professional and volunteer rescuers. Social media played an important role during the event and recovery, as an additional source of information, to inform emergency managers and as a means to organize community response e.g. for clean-up. Also, messages were conveyed through social media, e.g. a report of a levee breach that appeared to be incorrect afterwards. Major flooding is a problem that has multiple causes from both physical and social origin. Based on the investigations, recommendations for future research and lessons for flood management have been formulated. A better understanding of the issues studied in this report is expected to contribute to a knowledge basis for further in-depth investigations and future directions for flood risk reduction. Data collection and Report production funded by DIMI and DSys Special Case 'Houston Galveston Bay Region, Texas, USA' Project 'Harvey hackathon' and follow-up research @en

Galveston Island is a barrier island with a population of approximately 60,000, located between Galveston Bay and the Gulf of Mexico on the Texas coast. Due to its location, Galveston is not only on the front line of hurricane-induced storm surges coming from the Gulf, it is also a key site for any flood defense aiming to protect the entire Houston- Galveston Bay region. The island and its namesake city’s history have been marked by devastating storm surges, most notably the 1900 Great Galveston Hurricane, and Hurricane Ike in 2008. The 1900 hurricane left an estimated 6-8000 dead and prompted the elevation of the entire city by approximately 10 feet, plus the construction of the Galves ton Sea Wall on the Gulf-side (Bellis Bixel & Hayes Turner, 2000; Wright-Gidley & Marines, 2008). The back and west end of the island remain unprotected, and as a result were flooded during Hurricane Ike in 2008.@en