Metamorphosis of a Waterway: The City of Nijmegen Embraces the River Waal

Authors

Abstract

In 1993 and 1995, the lower parts of Nijmegen and the surrounding floodplain areas were threatened by high water levels of the river Waal. The recurrent flood events from the nineties and increased awareness about climate change effects prompted the need for new flood protection modes. As a result, the Dutch water management sector experienced a paradigm shift towards sustainable water management measures that “make room for the river.” Nijmegen is a leading example of the integrated water management approach that resolves multiple spatial issues with smart combinations of solutions resulting from the cross-level and cross-sectoral collaboration of various actors.

Author Biographies

Maria Alina Rădulescu, Rijkswaterstaat and the University of Groningen, Netherlands

Maria Alina Rădulescu is an early stage researcher, affiliated with Rijkswaterstaat and a PhD candidate at the University of Groningen. Her research project is part of the RECOMS Innovative Training Network that has received funding from the European Union’s Horizon 2020 research and innovation programme under the Marie Skłodowska-Curie grant agreement no. 765389. She completed an MSc in spatial planning at the Radboud University in Nijmegen and a MSc in European spatial planning and environmental policy at Cardiff University. Her research interests lie at the junction of public participation, urban and infrastructure planning, and policy making.

Wim Leendertse, Rijkswaterstaat and the University of Groningen, Netherlands

Wim Leendertse is a university professor of management in infrastructure planning at the Department of Spatial Planning and Environment, Faculty of Spatial Sciences, University of Groningen, the Netherlands, and senior advisor for Rijkswaterstaat in the field of project management, innovation management, and market involvement.

Jos Arts, University of Groningen, Netherlands

Jos Arts is full professor of environment and infrastructure planning and head of the Department of Spatial Planning and Environment, Faculty of Spatial Sciences, University of Groningen, the Netherlands. He has organized many international workshops, conferences and published widely about impact assessment, evaluation, and environmental, spatial, and infrastructure planning. His research focuses on institutional analysis and design for integrated planning approaches for sustainable infrastructure networks.

Downloads

Published

2021-10-08

Issue

2021

Section

Autumn

License

Copyright (c) 2021 Maria Alina Rădulescu, Wim Leendertse, Jos Arts

Creative Commons License

This work is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 International License.