Waterproof Gouda

Abstract

Gouda is one of several cities in the west of the Netherlands which still have a traditional medieval core, built on the long stretches of subsiding peat ground. The effects of subsidence, combined with the removal of surface water in the last century, are now further exacerbated by the increasing threat of climate change, which results in a growing flood risk. This thesis develops a plan to improve water storage and decrease risks using green-blue spatial interventions. The capacity of such interventions is calculated in various situations, ranging from normal rainy days to extreme precipitation occurrences without support from existing technical systems. At the same time, the potential for spatial changes is tested, both through analysis and workshops with inhabitants and other stakeholders. New interventions must be closely integrated within the existing structure of the city in order to protect the monumental value of the existing medieval core and ensure the character of the city centre remains recognisable. This leads to an integrated, three-pronged strategy in which the various characteristics and problems of the city centre each result in a different approach, including both monumental protection as well as a new drive towards innovative water management practices. To further ground these strategies into the existing city structure, new street profiles are developed, which show what level and type of adaptation can be added to specific streets. Interventions are chosen in such a way that each change references an already existing element of the city without being directly derivative. Instead they evoke the character of the city without copying it. In one location, water storage was brought back from where it was removed in the 20th century, adapted in a modernized way that brings more storage capacity as well as new functions. This creates a city in which monumental buildings are protected from flooding, precipitation is safely discharged and the potential for new water experiences is re-opened.