The paradigmatic shift in Dutch water management culture: the case study of Nijmegen in the Room for the River program

The Room for the River project stands as a stepping stone in water management strategies, distinguished by a paradigmatic shift in Dutch water culture towards decentralization of the decision-making process and spatial quality embedded in spatial planning projects. The research presents a comprehensive analysis of the program, focusing on the...

Challenges and Opportunities in Upscaling Room for the River: A Conversation about Large-scale Change through Small-scale Interventions

Highlighted by the recent 2021 flood events in Europe, this research takes the<br/>momentum to underline the necessity for radical solutions that embrace uncertain and extreme discharges at the core of planning and design frameworks. Building upon existing Adaptive Management practices in the Netherlands, this research takes the experience of...

Open to water: A search towards an integral approach to live in areas that are allowed to flood on the southern side of Dordrecht

In the wake of climate change and rising water levels the city of Dordrecht is looking for alternative ways to prepare for coming threats other than keep raising the current dikes. In an exploration a suggestion is made to use the southern side of the island as a buffer for excess water. This research takes that suggestion a step further and...

Assessment of the consequences of higher safety standards for flood defences along rivers in The Netherlands

A large part of the flood defences in The Netherlands does not meet the present safety standards. In 2014 the delta programme has proposed new safety standards, which are based on the flood risk approach. These new safety standards will for a lot of river dikes be stricter than the currently prevailing safety standards. A lot of work has to be...

Safeguarding public value with formal agreements: An evaluation of project- and process agreements that safeguard spatial quality towards project realization

A programme management approach for supporting a transition to integrated flood management in the Netherlands

In the Netherlands and many other developed countries, flood management is transitioning from sectoral engineering approaches to more integrated approaches. The 2.3 billion Euro Room for the River programme plays an important role in this transition, because it is the first large scale infrastructure programme in the Netherlands that breaks with...

Numerical modeling of sediment transport over hydraulic structures

Hydraulic structures are present in the designs of different Room for the River projects in the Netherlands. Examples are longitudinal weirs, groins, summer dikes and weirs in the inlet of a side channel. Morphological simulations with Delft3D are frequently carried out to investigate the effect of such projects on for example hindrance for...

Point Bar Development and Vegetation Succession on the Volga-Akhtuba Floodplain, Russia

The 'Room for the River' strategy for Dutch river management asks for more information about morphodynamics and vegetation succession in natural rivers. In order to obtain such information, the Lower Volga River in Russia is chosen as a natural reference river for the Dutch Waal River. Objective of the project Morphodynamics Lower and Waal is to...