Heritage landscape as a dynamic system that bridges the past and the future, on the one hand tells the history of an area and contributes to the identity of local people, and on the other hand need to meet the contemporary demand and deal with future challenges. In that case, apart from traditional strategy of isolating cultural heritages from urbanisation for protection, is there a new perspective to view heritage landscapes and a new approach to tackle them?

Hof te Dieren is an estate located in Gelderland province. With rich cultural-historical value lying in the land not fully recognised by people, it is simultaneously facing a series of challenges that are common in other Gelderland estates. This thesis studies Hof te Dieren as a case and uses palimpsest as an approach to read the historical traces in the site and to design new development.

The intended research and design exploration for resilient heritage landscapes of the future, looks at the heritage estate not just as a composition of a historic building and its garden ensemble but as a centrally organized economic system and a spatial assemblage of living, leisure and production. In the Achterhoek region from the Province of Gelderland, Netherlands, the agricultural lands and the forestry were lifelines of the living and leisure functions of the estates even in the early 20th century.
In the production history of Achterhoek, two major events took place that largely determine today’s landscape character of the area. These events were respectively, the ‘Marken division’ in 1820’s initiated by the powerful estate owners and the ‘post-World War 2 land consolidation’ after 1950's mostly taken up by the farmers. Most of the forestry and the characteristic ‘backstage landscape’ of the estate area, were developed at the time of the Marken division. During the land consolidation after World War 2, the East Achterhoek landscape accommodated intensification of agriculture. Thus, the forestry and the characteristic landscape along with its diversity were somewhat lost into a more homogenized open landscape in the East Achterhoek. On the contrary, the estate owners protected the cultural landscape of the estate area for the appreciation of its experiential qualities, its nature value and the leisure opportunities it provided them. But over time, the productive hinterland lost its value and strong connection with the estates as it was not enough as an economy generator anymore. As a consequence, most of the estates were taken up by conservation organizations in the 1970’s for their maintenance and protection.
Today, the richly protected heritage estate zones only cover the estate building and the garden, but the hinterland is not equally seen as an important part of the heritage. Once, the hinterland was an invaluable part of the estate and even during the post WW2 crisis, the estate owners ensured the protection of their hinterlands along with the characteristic features of the cultural landscape of Achterhoek. That is why, there is a need for re-exploring its value and finding new functional and experiential links between the hinterland and the estates.
In the current scenario, the severe scarcity of water in the estate grounds can be seen rather as a possibility for new links. Going back in history of water management, it is found that the productive landscape and its processes have influenced and altered the ‘Baakse Beek’ (brook system) and the wetness storage capacity of the region especially the East Achterhoek area. Here, a lack of awareness of its impact on the adjacent estate area is noticed. Thus, we find another missing link between the estates and the the broader cultural landscape as well.
If suitable measures are taken in the productive landscape, this situation might improve. This, in turn, generates new possibilities of re-purposing and revaluing the productive hinterland and restore its link to the heritage estates through different scales.

The Netherlands has a long and fascinating history with water to keep its land safe and dry. Recently, when the country is exposed to a changing climate, it is at the turning point to shift from defensive water control to adaptive and integrated management. Landscape design has a role to play in endowing water and water management with new values and enabling the water as well as its related natures are adapted to be more resilient for the future.

The study area Baakse beek has a rich context in which the prominence of water greatly decides the water management and the landscape and also exposes the area to the challenge of climate change. Hence, one aim of this study is to review the local historical water management approach and take values from them to bring back wetness conditions and water balance. The long history with water also means there are many opportunities (ecology, aesthetic, and cultural heritage) in the area, but the difficulty is how to weave together ecological function and spatial experience in landscape design. So, the second aim of this study is to find ways to communicate ecological function through spatial design.

Through exploring the history with water over time, three categories of local historical water management approaches are summarized and they are adjusted to different water retention and ecological principles to formulate design strategies involving stream re-naturalisation, water retention, and water purification. For design, the core is to provide human with pleasure from the landscape appearance that involves beneficial ecological functions. landscape design needs to communicate ecological function and to conform to our cultural expectations of naturalness. This is achieved through two approaches, spatial modification, which gives an overall framework of landscape experience and cue to care, which gives hints of maintenance and neatness.

The design explorations take place on various scales and locations. Selected design principles are assigned to the most suitable locations in the Baakse beek catchment area to preserve and strengthen the landscape characteristics of each sub-area. Two landscape ecology models and two design options for spatial experience are built in the Medler-Wiersse cluster, estate landscape, to test various ways to bridge the gap between the environment and spatial experience. Combinations provide design possible options towards alignment between landscape ecology and spatial experience.