This paper presents the intermediate results of the Redesigning Deltas – Rivers Atelier in which a transition design approach is applied to develop scenarios for sustainable future river development. As a first step, a set of exploratory scenarios is derived from extrapolations of historic drivers for the development of the river Rhine: Water Way, Water Machine, Free Flow and Sponge Scape. Instead of addressing a predefined problem and valuating alternative futures, these scenarios were instrumental in gaining a better understanding of the river system at hand, and more specifically the effects of drivers on the physical river system. We conclude that explicit deliberation thereof is needed to break through the vicious intervention-response relationships that have characterized river management practices of the last centuries.