Room for the River

A wide river with a curving walking path along its bank and an arched bridge in the distance.
Source names no photographer
Room for the River is a Dutch program that shifted flood control from containing rivers behind ever-higher dikes to giving rivers more space, letting hydrological need guide design decisions in over 30 locations.
A example that powerfully illustrates this expanded partnership can be found in the Netherlands' nationwide "Room for the River" program. For centuries, the Dutch approach to flood control was one of dominance: building ever-higher dikes to contain rivers. Faced with increasing flood risk from climate change, the program enacted a fundamental shift. Instead of fighting the river, designers, engineers, and landscape architects began to partner with it. In over 30 locations, design decisions were directly dictated by the river's own agency and hydrological needs.

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Examples

In the framework

  • Nature · element
  • Partners Component
  • Environment (Ecological Niche)
  • Outcomes Component

In the book

  • Chapter 14, section 142 · Environment Dimension

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Examples