Safe, climate-robust cities

Urban flooding & urban drainage

Preventing flooding and excess water is an essential precondition for a safe living environment. Marine and fluvial flooding must be prevented where possible, as should flooding caused by extreme precipitation and groundwater.

Climate- and water-robust building

But prevention isn't always possible; sooner or later, there will be an unexpected extreme event. When that happens, we need enough coping capacity and recovery capacity to limit the damage. And to adapt to climate change and other developments, we need to build enough capacity for adaptation into the urban system. So we want climate-robust building.

Drought and urban water demand

Drought can be just as much a threat to the city as flooding. Water supplies prove inadequate, vegetation dries out, the ground settles, wooden piles rot, the quality of surface water declines and so on. Sufficient water of sufficient quality is vital. That water demand must, where possible, be covered using seasonal buffers and with water supply.

Heat stress

Extreme heat is, to a major extent, also a water problem. The urban heat island is in part the result of limited evaporation in the city. Water evaporation makes it possible to mitigate  extreme temperatures outside and inside. Evaporation results in cooling. But it relies on water.

Closed city

But where is that water to come from? At the moment, we import a lot of water through the drinking water system. However, it is often the case that various sources of water are also available in the city itself, particularly for low-grade applications. Examples are rainwater flow-off, surface water, drainage water, local groundwater or effluent from sewage treatment. We want a more closed city.

Downloads

Building urban areas in the Netherlands Climate proof(leaflet)
Building the Netherlands Climate Proof: Urban Areas (full report)
Flood defence design and assessment tools