[Jaar] Guardian of Dutch regional water management The reinvention of the expertise role of the Dutch regional water authority Noorderzijlvest to govern for climate change adaptation Elna Minderman S2963736 27-06-2021 Colophon Title: Guardian of Dutch regional water management Subtitle: The strategic and political repositioning of the Dutch regional water authority Noorderzijlvest Author: Elna Minderman
[email protected] S2963736 Master program: Environmental and Infrastructure Planning Faculty of Spatial Sciences University of Groningen & Water and Coastal Management University of Oldenburg Supervisor: Dr. Margo van den Brink Second reader: Dr. Britta Restemeyer Date: June 27, 2021 Version: Final Word count: 28,813 1 Preface Dear reader, A red line in my studies at the Faculty of Spatial Sciences at the University of Groningen has been the development in spatial planning towards a more communicative and integrative way of working. Fascinated by water management, I regard studying this movement in the oldest democratic organizations in Europe which arguably had the most influence on the Dutch landscape and society than anything else - Dutch regional water authorities - as the icing on the cake. Thank you, Margo, for your genuine interest in both the research topic and me. Your ideas and feedback, as well as your uplifting words, kept my spirit high during the whole research. I would also like to thank my friends and family for their unconditional support, encouragement, and the needed distraction. Finally, thank you to all participants who enthusiastically contributed to this research. I am proud to present to you this master thesis and hope it will provide you with valuable insights in strengthening the positioning of Noorderzijlvest to govern for climate change adaptation.