Flooding Resilience Future for the ABC Mega Region

Abstract

The frequency of flooding events is estimated to increase in the Rhine Basin. Cities are becoming increasingly sensitive to climate change, and urban sprawl and urban population growth are bringing more and more people and areas into the risk. The thesis project is about the flooding resilience future in the lower Rhine River basin. The lack of systematic and scientific spatial planning and flood management tools has resulted in the mega region not having complex flooding issues. In addition, the natural landscape is fragmented by the urban sprawl in the past few years, and the connection of nature landscape and the value of the ecosystems needs to be utilized and demonstrated in future flood management in the face of the new paradigm. In the cross sections and different levels and countries of governance, it is important to investigate the local capacity of adaptation and transformation towards flood resilience. Nature- based solutions are thus chosen as which not only recognize the dynamics of the bio-physical systems but also activate the capacity of local conditions. Nature- based solutions not only enhance the green and blue infrastructure, but also creating added values of social benefits. By investigating the opportunity, suitability, availability and applicability of applying the nature- based solutions, the thesis try to explore a systematic approach to accelerate the transformation towards a flood resilience future in the ABC mega region by the local adaptations.