URBANIZING DELTAS Fishing Agriculture Environment Flood-defense & Water-management Port-economy Urbanization The delta offers: • Excellent conditions for fish-/shellfish economy • Excellent conditions for agriculture economy • Excellent conditions for trade-economy (ports) • Largest concentrations of population in urban areas • Attractive environments for leisure and tourism • Extreme vulnerable and dangerous living- conditions • Extreme precious and vulnerable bio-diversity • Propitious conditions for new energy (sun, wind, waves, salt-fresh water transitions) Changing urban economy, patterns & typology + Changing territorial conditions of the delta = Extreme complexity Urbanization and territory Soil qualities Ground levels (green = peat, very soft) (blue = below sea level) The Wild Landscape First human settlements in the Wild Landscape The Dutch landscape: a hydraulic construction 1300 - 1850 • The City as an hydraulic construction Two estuaries: (A) Zuiderzee/Waddenzee and (B) Rhine-Scheldt-Delta A B port-development and urbanization around the estuaries 1600: a land of cities 1600: four urban systems 3 4 1 2 Man-Made Land Drainage Dikes Reclamations 1550 1650 1200 – 1500: Drainage- systems Holland 1550 Dikes and drains in central Holland, 1550 Man-Made Land Urban Typology Village on the dike Man-Made Land Urban Typology Town perpendicular to the dike Man-Made Land Urban Typology Polder-town Man-Made Land Urban Typology ‘Dam-town’ The Dutch Water-City – a Hydraulic Construction Amsterdam, Dam Amsterdam, Dam The Dutch Water-City – a Hydraulic Construction water-structure = urban structure The Dutch Water-City – a Hydraulic Construction Canals ‘Singels’ Dikes Quays Design of dikes and canals: combining urban and hydraulic functions Man-made Land Urban Patterns Urban Typology Phase 2 • The Nation as an hydraulic construction 19th century: Mapping the Nation Making a coherent Nation 19th century: New national infrastructures Nieuwe Waterweg (New Waterway) North Sea Canal Hendrick Stevin 1667 Van Diggelen 1849 Buma 1883 Ir. C. Lely Plan Lely 1891 Dr.ir. J.A. Ringers Dr.ir. Joh. Van Veen ‘the art of a Nation’ Damming the Zuiderzee, reclamation IJsselmeerpolders (1930’s – 1970’s) 1961 ‘the art of a Nation’ ‘Delta-works’: Damming the Rhine-Meuse Delta (1950’s – 1980’s) Oosterscheldedam Hollandse IJsselkering Radical changeflood-protection of context City of Rotterdam and economy of local communities Radical change of context and economy of local communities Boompjes 1900 Boompjes 2000 Radical change of context and economy of local communities Veere 1950 Veere 2008 ‘the art of a Nation’ ‘dike-belts’with safety-norms urbanization - pattern Dijkring 14 – Randstad Holland 14th century 21st century ‘the art of a Nation’ 1960’s: National Spatial Planning 2nd National Memorandum on Spatial Planning 1966 Building the Dutch Nation - a Modern Project Building the Dutch Nation - a Modern Project Modernizing Agriculture Modernizing Industry Modernizing cultural and social life National Spatial Planning as the pivot 19th –20th centuries: ‘Randstad Holland’ as a new centrality after 1970’s: breaks and bursts After the national project • Globalization • Urban transformations and city- competitiveness; looking for local and regional identities: the rediscovery of the urban waterfront • Increasing concern with the environment • Soil-subsidence • Climate change Globalization: concern with international processes Networks Globalization: concern with international processes Urban transformations: the rediscovery of the urban waterfronts Rotterdam 1958 Urban transformations: the rediscovery of the urban waterfronts Present situation Proposal flood-protection City of Rotterdam-West Future situation Urban transformations: the rediscovery of the urban waterfronts Adaptive building in flood-plain areas Floating village - Oolderhuuske Concern with the environment Recreation and rich ecosystems Concern with the environment Improving shipping-route West Scheldt ………………………… combined with ‘depoldering’ Subsidence Climate Change Observations Delta-committee, 2008 Advises and proposals Delta-committee, 2008 A new paradigm: Working with Nature Make use of natural power and development: wind, currents, tide, sediment-transport, alluvium A new paradigm: Working with Nature + 500.000 units ‘metropolitan parks’ ‘top-functions’ ? Sea-coast Changing climate; changing territorial conditions RPB, 2004 Geuze 2007 The Hague: shrinking natural flood-protection 1000 na Chr. 2003 flood-protection Scheveningen (City of The Hague) New flood-protection Scheveningen (City of The Hague) Design new coastline Scheveningen M. de Sola Morales New flood-protection Scheveningen (City of The Hague) Design new coastline Scheveningen M. de Sola Morales Polders A new water-network City of Rotterdam – ‘Rotterdam Watercity 2035’ designing new urban districts with water RIVERS RUIMTE VOOR DE RIVIER Urbanizationflood-protection in Cityfloodplains of Rotterdam Urbanization in floodplains Open/closed Rijnmond (Delta-committee - Ties Rijcken) Rotterdam Delta-City (EMU students City of Rotterdam – ‘Rotterdam Watercity 2035’ Paradigm-shift of early 21st century: • From fighting against nature to Working with nature • From focus on national coherence to reconsidering local-regional-national-international scales; • From sectoral approach to comprehensive approach Founding National Federal Republic of 7 Provinces Kingdom Housing law Netherlands Water-boards, cities National Constitution Founding Spatial Rijkswaterstaat Planning law Globalisation; liberalisation 1600 1700 1800 1900 2000 2100 Local / regional projects National projects ? ? ? Water-cities, polders, Canalizing Mega-projects: small and medium-size reclamations large rivers; Afsluitdijk large IJsselmeerpolders reclamations Delta-works Competing urban economies National economic policy: modernization industry modernization agriculture Changing urban economy, patterns & typology + Changing territorial conditions of the delta = Extreme complexity.