Relocating Rotterdam

Abstract

The current notion of risk used in the Netherlands has a strong focus on reducing the probability that flooding occurs. It leaves little attention for reducing exposure and vulnerability, as the other components when defining risk. Socio-economic trends show that the areas below sea level will be only more densely inhabited with people and will experience only more economic growth. This along the predicted sea level rise and greater fluctuations in river discharge compel research on spatial planning and urban design to look far into the future, to widen their scope and to anticipate developments further ahead. This project aims at transition of the current way the Netherlands deal with the increasing treat of water zooming in on the situation of the city of Rotterdam and proposing to create more adaptive capacity of the spatial structure in order to deal with future uncertainties in the context of extreme climate change scenarios. The scenario the project is dealing with, shows that 3 meter of sea level rise before the year 2100 and drastic precipitation changes could become reality. This thesis focuses on the possibilities of restructuring the Randstad region throughout the scales (in space and in time), including Rotterdam, assigning densification zones and areas of relocation towards reduction of flood risk exposure of the extreme flood scenario. The project explores what it would mean for the city and the citizens of Rotterdam if all the areas below sea level get relocated to higher grounds. The transformation of infrastructures and networks is described on a spatial level at the city, neighborhood and at street- scale. Design interventions show what Rotterdam could look like in 2060 and what spatial qualities it could bring if we already start now to prepare the city for the future. This contribution of spatial planning and urban design can help filling the gap of knowledge about the spatial uncertainty climate change brings. It can also help in finding new ways of dealing with water that can prolongate the line of water expertise of the Dutch. Truly new visions on this subject can only emerge by leaving the beaten track.