Fluid Borders

Abstract

This thesis examines the future of Zeeuws-Vlaanderen as a border region within the wider Flemish-Dutch delta, where socio-economic vulnerability and the impacts of climate change converge. Against the background of centuries of struggle against water, and in the face of rising sea levels, this research asks how borders can be redesigned to contribute to a resilient delta.
A combination of literature and spatial research was applied to understand the spatial and administrative impact of territorial borders. It also studied how border regions function in practice and how border residents experience them. The case study is Zeeuws-Vlaanderen, which is cut off from the rest of the Netherlands and Belgium by both the national border and the natural barrier of the Scheldt estuary.
The analytical methods used were translated into three spatial scenarios in which alternative boundary models were tested through design research. These scenarios are based on theories of Re-Bordering (Van Houtum), Borderscapes (Dell’Agnese & Szary) and the State of Exception concept (Agamben), combined with collective management of a Common (Ostrom). From this follows the concept of the Fluid Borderland. The border is no longer a hard line, but a border zone with shared responsibility and more autonomy. The aim is to develop a spatial and administrative design that not only facilitates climate adaptation, but also generates socio-economic opportunities.
The results were translated into an integrated vision of the future in which the border and the Scheldt no longer form barriers. Interventions such as connecting infrastructure, a border park and tidal parks with new, raised primary dykes protect the region from sea level rise. At the same time, connection is created, so Zeeuws-Vlaanderen is no longer approached as a peripheral region. The study invites a debate on the role of spatial planning in border regions and how re-b/ordering contributes to a more resilient, connected and just delta.