Frans van de Ven
Frans van de Ven is leader of the Urban Land & Water Management team at Deltares, and he is associate professor of Urban Water Management at the Faculty of Civil Engineering and Geosciences at Delft University of Technology. He holds a PhD in Hydrology and is leading research worldwide on creating sustainable cities, making them climate resilient, flood and drought proof and subsidence-free. This includes research on improved concepts for urban flood and water management, other ways or urban planning and design and water quality control, blue-green solutions and energy harvesting from water.
After obtaining his MSc degree in Land & Water Management at Wageningen University in 1979 he joined the IJsselmeerpolders Development Authority, where he investigated rainfall runoff processes in urban areas and urban water quality. He was expert-advisor on geohydrology and groundwater resources management to the drinking water company and the province.In 1986 he joined Rijkswaterstaat’s Institute of Inland Water Management and Wastewater Treatment. He did research on operational flood forecasting models, hydrological and ecological modeling and remote sensing and initiated and lead research programmes on dehydration, policy development tools and “Living with Water”.
Van de Ven was appointed as part-time associate professor at Delft University of Technology in 2004. His research fields include stormwater drainage and infiltration processes, design of drainage facilities, urban water quality management, building site planning and preparation and climate resilient urban water management planning. He aims at developing new concepts for sustainable and resilient urban water management.
In May 2008 Van de Ven joined Deltares, where he and his team started research activities on climate resilience of cities, urban flooding and impact reduction, on creating adaptable cities and on the concept of the “closed city” – aimed at enhancing the functional use of all types of water in the urban area. Over the past couple of years, adaptation for drought ad land subsidence control in urban areas, water supply and water resources management as well as effectiveness and applicability of blue green solutions for urban flood, drought and heat management were added to the pallet of ongoing research projects.
Working experience
| 2008 - present | Deltares | Team Leader Urban Land & Water Management |
| 1985 - present | Delft University of Technology, Faculty of Civil Engineering and Geosciences | 1985 – 2004 Assistant Professor Urban Water Management 2004 – Present Associate Professor Urban Water Management |
| 1986 - 2008 | Institute for Inland Water Management and Waste Water Treatment – RIZA | 1986 – 1994 Head research subdivision Hydrology and Geohydrology 1994 – 1995 Coordinator National Research Program Dehydration and cluster-leader Ecohydrology 1995 – 2000 Program coordinator AQUEST, a process aimed at improving modeling for policy development and planning 2000 – 2008 Deputy head division National Water Policy Development |
| 1979 - 1986 | IJsselmeerpolders Development Authority; Scientific Division | Head of section Urban Catchment Hydrology and Water Supply |
-
Green Infrastructure Solutions for Water and Flood Risk Management in cities in India
India, 2012
Client : The World Bank Main project features: Investigate applicability of green infrastructure solutions for flood protection and climate adaptation of two urban and peri-urban areas in India (Puri, Cochin).
Position held: project manager
Activities performed: Scan of green infrastructure solutions for flood protection, urban drainage, water supply and sanitation for the cities of Puri and Cochin. Formulate multifunctional and cost-effective GI pilots for these cities.
-
New Orleans Water Management Strategy
USA, 2011 - 2013
Client : Greater New Orleans Inc. and City of New Orleans
Main project features: Formulate water management strategy to protect New Orleans from flooding, minimize land subsidence and improve quality of urban environment with water. Strengthen economic development of the city of NO by improving water management.
Position held: Senior consultant to the PM (from New Orleans)
Activities performed: Assist the PM in organizing the project and supervising the Water System Group working on flood risk assessment, hydrological system analysis and development of new adaptation and development strategies.
-
Climate resilience of the Netherlands – Urban areas
The Netherlands, 2009 - 2010
Client : Netherlands Environmental Assessment Agency
Main project features: climate adaptation vulnerability assessment of urban areas for flooding, drought and heat, adaptation strategies
Position held: project manager
Activities performed: Assessment of the climate robustness and the adaptability of Netherlands urban areas. Assessment of vulnerability for pluvial, fluvial, coastal and groundwater flooding, for droughts and for heat stress. Adaptation strategies.
-
Climate Proof Cities
The Netherlands, 2010 - 2014
Client : Knowledge for Climate Programme, Cities of Amsterdam, Rotterdam, Utrecht, Arnhem, Nijmegen, Tilburg, Haaglanden region
Main project features: Research into effects of climate change on urban living environment and on urban water systems, vulnerability assessment, urban flooding, effectivity of flood mitigation measures, extreme rainstorms, design support tools for flood risk mitigation
Position held: Member of the CPC programme core team and leader of theme integrated urban water management
Activities performed: Field research into the urban climate, urban flooding, drought and heat stress. Role of water as cooling fluid of urban areas and water demand related to this role. Improving reliability of urban flooding simulations and flood risk maps; damage sensitivity, flood control strategies for urban areas and adaptation measures to strengthen threshold, coping and recovery capacity.
-
Master class Urban Flood Management
Vietnam, 2011
Client: Steering Center for Flood Control / NUFFIC
Main project features: Master class for staff of SCFC, MARD and DONRE on the design of a flood protection strategy.
Position held: Teacher
Activities performed: Lecturing and supervising design workshop
-
Water robust building
The Netherlands, 2008 - 2009
Client : Climate changes Spatial Planning Programme and Ministry of Transport, Public Works and Water Management
Main project features: Vulnerability of urban areas to flooding, drought and heat, capacities to reduce vulnerability, long-list of hard and soft protection measures, spatial planning and flood protection
Position held: project leader
Activities performed: International literature review to identify hard and soft measures to reduce the vulnerability of urban areas for flooding, drought and heat stress, development of an approach to improve protection in the urban planning phase, the design and the maintenance phase of urban areas.
-
Urban water in Japan
Japan and The Netherlands, 2007 -2008
Client : Delft University / Taylor and Francis Publishers
Main project features: Comparison of approach to urban water management in Japan and the Netherlands. Protection strategy for urban flooding.
Position held: Team leader
Activities performed: In cooperation with numerous Japanese colleagues we made a comparison between the Japanese and the Netherlands approach to urban water management . Flood risk management is a major component in this study. Results are published in a book.
-
Transition to sustainable and resilient urban water systems
The Netherlands. Japan and Australia, 2004 - 2009
Client : Living with Water programme, Rotterdam, Heerhugowaard, STOWA
Main project features: vulnerability reduction, alternative water supply. Water as source of energy, transition management, receptivity
Position held: project leader
Activities performed: the study included the development of more sustainable solutions for urban flood protection, water supply and urban water management and the transition that is needed to realize implementation of innovative solutions. Innovation barriers for receptivity for new solutions were investigated in the Netherlands, Japan and Australia.
-
Improving Building Site Preparation
The Netherlands, 2005 - 2010
Client : Living with Water programme, Grontmij, Witteveen+Bos, municipalities of Katwijk, Utrecht and Gouda Main
project features: land and water management adaptation for sustainable urban development and redevelopment; flood protection, land subsidence control, sustainable urban design and building
Position held: project leader Activities
performed: The project created a community of practitioners working on the civil engineering aspects of urban development and redevelopment. Studies were made into improving urban groundwater drainage, urban flood protection, land subsidence control, land filling strategies, cradle-to-cradle approaches and improving procedures and processes.
-
MaNaVa urban flood control project
Phillipines, 1988
Client : Phillipines Ministry for Public Works, Netherlands Technical Assistance Agency
Main project features: urban flood protection, illegal settlements, coastal flood protection
Position held: consultant
Activities performed: Analysis of the pluvial, fluvial and coastal flooding threats of Malabon, Navotas and Valenzuela. Selection of adaptation measures, taking due account of the large illegal settlements in the most flood-prone areas.
-
Adaptation Planning Support Toolbox: Measurable performance information
Currently, most tools, guidelines and benchmarks for urban adaptation raise awareness on climate change impacts, assess the city’s vulnerability and/or address the need for adaptation on a policy-level. However, tools that have the ability to implement adaptation solutions in the actual urban planning and design practice seem to be missing. We developed and tested the Adaptation Planning Support Toolbox (APST) to fill this gap. This toolbox supports local policymakers, planners, designers and practitioners in defining the program of demands, in setting adaptation targets, in selecting from more than 60 blue, green and grey adaptation measures and with informed co-creation of conceptual adaptation plans.
-
City Blueprints: 24 Indicators to Assess the Sustainability of the Urban Water Cycle
2012
Leeuwen, C.J. van, J. Frijns, A. van Wezel and F. van de Ven Water Resources Management, p2177–2197, DOI 10.1007/s11269-012-0009-1, Published online 11 March 2012
-
Creating water robust urban environments in the Netherlands: linking spatial planning, design and asset management using a three-step approach
2011
Van de Ven, F.H.M., B. Gersonius, R. De graaf, E. Luijendijk and C. Zevenbergen J. Flood Risk Management. DOI: 10.1111/j.1753-318X.2011.01109.x, Published online: 27 July 2011
-
Perspectives on innovation: a survey of the Dutch urban water sector
2011
De Graaf, R.E., R. J. Dahm, J. Icke, R. W. Goetgeluk, S. J. T. Jansen, F. H. M. van de Ven Urban Water Journal, 8: 1, 1-12, DOI: 10.1080/1573062X.2010.527351. Published online 9 February 2011
-
Building the Netherlands Climate Proof: Urban Areas
2010
Van de Ven, F., E. van Nieuwkerk, K. Stone, C. Zevenbergen, W. Veerbeek, J. Rijke, S. van Herk Report 1201082-000-VEB-0003, Deltares and UNESCO-IHE, Delft/Utrecht
-
High resolution rainfall – runoff measurement setup for green roof experiments in a tropical environment
2010
Vergroesen, T. U. Man Joshi, N. C. van de Giesen and F. H. M. van de Ven Hydrology and Earth System Sciences Discussions (7) p9367–9410
-
A relation between extreme daily precipitation and extreme short term precipitation
2010
Romero, Y. L.• J. Bessembinder, N. C. van de Giesen • F. H. M. van de Ven Climatic Change. DOI 10.1007/s10584-010-9955-x. Published online 14 December 2010 Published in printed issue of Climatic Change: Volume 106, Issue 3 (2011), Page 393.
-
Water robust building: A three step approach for the Netherlands, linking planning, design, construction and exploitation
2010
Van de Ven, F.H.M., B. Gersonius, R. de Graaf, E. Luijendijk, C Zevenbergen, E Tromp, L Valkenburg. Report KvR 016/2010. ISBN 979-90-8815-017-3
-
Comparison of implicit and explicit connection of fast- and slow-flowing components of a water system
2010
Vergroesen, A.J.J., N.C. van de Giesen and F.H.M. van de Ven Hydrological Sciences Journal 55(3), 287–302
-
Land & Water Management in the Urban Environment
2009
Van de Ven, F.H.M., H. Gehrels, H. van Meerten, B. van de Pas, E. Ruijgh, D. Vatvani, N. van Oostrom and Th van der Linden, Deltares, Utrecht/Delft
-
Towards water robust urban environments: Linking planning, design, building process and exploitation using a three step approach
2009
Van de Ven, F.H.M., B. Gersonius, R. de Graaf, E. Luijendijk, C. Zevenbergen, In: Proc. Conf. Road Map Towards a Flood resilient Urban environment, COST- UNESCO-IHP, 25-27 November 2009, Paris.
-
Waterrobuust Bouwen; de kracht van kwetsbaarheid in een duurzaam ontwerp
2009
Van de Ven, F., E. Luyendijk, M. de Gunst, E. Tromp, M. Schilt, L. Krol, B. Gersonius, C. Vlaming, L. Valkenburg, R. Peeters SBR Artikelnr 604.08 Beter Bouw- en Woonrijp Maken / SBR, Rotterdam, ISBN 978 90 5367 496 3
-
Exploring the technical and economic feasibility of using the urban water system as a sustainable energy source
2008
De Graaf, R., F. van de Ven, I. Miltenburg, B. van Ee, L. van de Winkel and G. van Wijk, Thermal science, Vol 12, Nr 4 pp 35-50
-
Every drop counts; environmentally sound technologies for urban and domestic water use efficiency
2008
Schuetze, T. (ed), S. Tjallingii, A. Correlje, R. de Graaf, Maki Ryu, F. van de Ven DTI/0987/PA, UNEP DTIE / TU Delft, Osaka / Delft, ISBN 978-92-807-2861-3
Activities
| 2011 - 2012 | Member | London Thames Tunnel Commission |
| 2011 - Present | Advisor | New Orleans Water Management Strategy |
| 2009 - Present | Member Climate Proof Cities program core group | Leader theme Urban Water Management |
| 2008 - Present | Member Evaluation committee | Nat. Urban water Governance Program, Monash University |
| 2007 - 2009 | Program manager | Climate and Water Resilient Urban Development |
| 2007 | Member Evaluation committee | Facility on Advanced Water Biofiltration, Monash University. |
| 2005 – 2006 | Member of the jury | Purmer-meer urban design competition. |
| 1998 - 2008 | Editor in chief | Lowland Technology International. |