Accepting the current(s)

Abstract

The constant manipulation of the Dutch delta system and the resulting creation of hard borders between the natural river landscape, the harbor and the city has led to a destabilized delta system(Hein, 2021; Meyer et al., 2015). The spatial and ecological challenges resulting from population growth and the resulting urban growth, as well as climate change, are becoming increasingly urgent. To densify already urban areas, municipalities are transforming more and more inner-city port areas, which as a result of the relocation of the port to the North Sea are increasingly becoming available. However, this trend presents increasingly apparent challenges as these areas are outside of dike protection and exposed to natural influences (Breś & Krosnicka, 2021). On the one hand, they offer the opportunity for housing, which is urgently needed in Rotterdam, but on the other hand are highly vulnerable due to the enhanced risk of flooding resulting from sea-level rise and higher river discharge. 
The research project "Accepting the current(s) - A porous approach for the revitalization of a former port area in the Rhine-Meuse Delta" explores a new nature-based approach for these areas. The resulting design aims to combine the natural and urban processes in an adaptive and urban tidal landscape, working with and benefiting from the natural processes of the Nieuwe Maas and the Delta. It seeks to balance the various entities by enhancing the natural environment in the urban delta.
The permeable approach enables the provision of a collaborative zones for different flows and connections. This facilitates a transition from water to land and from port to city, where people, resources and ideas can move smoothly (Höller, 2021). Leading to better exploitation of potential and a better activation and integration of the previously segregated outer dike areas into the urban context. An adaptive hotspot is created within the dynamic landscape that is continuously evolving and able to accommodate future changes. In addition, the creation of tidal habitats provides an important natural habitat for different species of animals and plants that have been displaced by the previous water management of the region, thus creating a place of migration. For both humans and animals.
The work includes a design catalog for the creation of an urban tidal landscape to show decision-makers the various options available to create an adaptive wetland neighborhood. It allows the project to be more comprehensible and regionally transferable. In the end the suggested design strategies are applied to the study area of the waterfront of Nieuw Mathenesse/Merwe-Vierhavens to give a more specific outlook and to better demonstrate the potentials the design is intended to offer.