CITY DEAL climate adaptation
joining forces to future-proof our cities
The essence of this City Deal The City Deal Climate Adaptation is aimed at four key objectives.
Implementing the Delta Decision on Spatial Adaptation
We are striving to achieve the goals of the Dutch Delta Decision on Spatial Adaptation: by 2020, the climate-proof development, realisation, and management of urban areas will be standard practice. This means that we are going to evaluate the progress made in cities, and assess what additional efforts are required.
Showcasing good examples through pilot projects
We are setting up pilot projects in cities in order to demonstrate that climateresilient solutions contribute to a pleasant and healthy social climate, and to the reduction of management costs. After all, example is better than precept.
Removing obstacles
We are mapping out obstacles in the fields of legislation, funding, and policy, developing solution strategies for their removal. We will field-test completed projects to gauge their effectiveness and added value.
Learning and exporting
We share the innovative methods and solutions with national and international partners. City Deal shares results and insights via an open platform, and ensures international communication. “The Dutch Urban Agenda [Agenda Stad] comes into play where cities run into constraints, and require innovation and breakthroughs in order to capitalise on opportunities and resolve problems. City Deals anchor concrete collaborative agreements between cities, the national government, other governments, companies, and civic society organisations. City Deals are the vehicle for achieving the goals of the Dutch Urban Agenda: to strengthen growth, innovation, and quality of life in the Dutch cities.� Source: agendastad.nl
Preface The Delta Decisions set down in 2014 have added another dimension to the rich Dutch tradition of dams, dykes, and storm surge barriers that we have been constructing since 1953 to continually improve our flood protection. Innovative combinations in hydraulic engineering structures and spatial planning enable us not just to make our cities even safer, but also to enhance their appeal. For us, as City Deal administrators, this is an incentive to work on the resilience of our cities. In Zwolle, the construction of the first showcases of these “new 21st century Delta Works” in the capillaries of the city is currently in full swing. However, will it be sufficient if we are able to accommodate the impact of severe rain, heat or drought on every street corner? This is something no one can do by themselves. For that reason, we are not only working together with our residents, companies, and water boards: the cities also need one another. Zwolle, for example, can learn an incredible amount from the methods applied in Dordrecht, and vice versa. And projects such as the “Sand Engine” in The Hague and the water squares in Rotterdam have been noted even in Singapore. This cross-pollination is the pillar underpinning a City Deal; it ensures that we challenge one another to accomplish the seemingly impossible: adapting a city to a changing climate within several decades. In this exciting first year, we are tackling various issues. For example, we are striving to further integrate adaptation into public-private collaboration on area development, to ensure that it is no longer regarded as a cumbersome additional cost item. And through an online menu map we are opening up all the inspiring Dutch showcase projects to the entire world. We are looking forward to this collaboration, which is not free of obligations but will lead to City Deal worthy, national and international breakthroughs in the manner in which we are converting climate change from a problem to an opportunity. On behalf of all the Climate Adaptation City Deal partners, Ed Anker Alderman, municipality of Zwolle
What are we going to do in 2016-2017? We are launching the City Deal Climate Adaptation, aimed at achieving a breakthrough in the approach to climate adaptation in Dutch cities. This brochure outlines our schedule for 1 September 2016 up to and including 31 August 2017, the first year of this four-year collaboration.
to contribute their experience and expertise. This provides a huge added value in complex issues, enabling the participants to gain from one another. The issues involved range from implementing multi-layered flood risk management to climateresilient area development and the application of “Nature-Based solutions”.
City Deal is a collaborative agreement between fourteen public parties and twelve (semi) private collaborative parties. The City Deal partners are intensifying their mutual cooperation in an open culture of learning, experimentation, and innovation. The activities that help us achieve our goal are rolled out at the local level, within an organically controlled organisation.
Within these issues, we are initiating concrete projects to work on new forms of governance, funding constructions, and innovative solutions. Some projects are focused on combining expertise and experience; others involve joint experimentation and accelerating innovations. This generates unique showcase processes and projects that provide impetus to internationalisation: climate-adaptive cities as an export product.
All the bodies involved are participating because it is of benefit to them and because they are prepared
City Deal mee ngs External events Na onal Climate Adapta on Summit Broad-based mee ng KBS NKWK projects tour
September 2016
October 2016
Administra ve teams I&M Interna onal Conference
7th Na onal Delta Conference
November 2016 December 2016
Spa al Adapta on Network Day
January 2017
February 2017
We want to learn, inspire, and share, in order to jointly ensure that our cities are well prepared for the future. This will enable us to continue to enjoy living and working in the urban areas of the Netherlands, even in 2050.
“New methods and innovations do not develop of their own accord. Government subsidies will not buy them. Neither can the private sector pluck them from the air just like that. It is a matter of cross-pollination. Climate adaptation is a complex tasking that requires a joint search for opportunities and solutions. With this City Deal, we are gathering innovative power, entrepreneurship, social commitment, and political-administrative feasibility in concrete urban projects. A practical learning environment and a breeding ground for innovation.” Melanie Schultz van Haegen Minister of Infrastructure and the Environment
Administra ve teams
March 2017
Strategy group
Broad-based mee ng 37th Interna onal Hansea c Days
April 2017
May 2017
June 2017
July 2017
August 2017
September 2017
“Dordrecht has been living with the pros and cons of its delta location for centuries. However, climate change presents us with new short-term taskings. Taskings that call for smart combinations of measures and for smart collaboration between governments, knowledge institutes, and residents.” Piet Sleeking Alderman, municipality of Dordrecht
“Making the IJssel-Vecht delta flood-proof and climate-resilient requires more than high dykes. We adapt new plans to the climate of the future. We need to take steps now, but in many cases the impact only becomes apparent in the long run. For that reason, we are looking for combinations of measures to which everyone – residents, entrepreneurs, and governments – contributes. The City Deal helps us achieve this.” Bert Boerman Member of the Provincial Executive, Province of Overijssel
Multi-layered flood risk management From local experiment to structural approach
Flood risk management in the Netherlands involves both prevention and reducing the impact of a potential flood. The first layer – prevention – pertains to our dykes and dunes. The importance of prevention is obvious. Yet we expend increasing efforts on impact reduction, such as disaster management. This involves, for example, sound evacuation plans. This constitutes the third layer.
Spatial planning
The City Deal focuses on the second layer: implementing spatial planning measures that can reduce the impact of potential floods. The City Deal partners are working on strategies to increase the water-resilience of their own region. A challenging task: the roles and responsibilities of the parties
involved with respect to spatial adaptation are not well-defined, the sense of urgency among residents and companies is low, and there is no clear insight into which measures are feasible and acceptable.
In actual practice
We have initiated four practical projects – in Dordrecht, IJssel-Vecht Delta, Amsterdam Westpoort, and Rotterdam – to explore how we can convert the spatial adaptation policy ambition into a more structural approach. An approach that will challenge governments and other parties to make a deal to improve water-resilience, in the interest of each participant.
“Combining our know-how of water and the region with the efforts of residents and entrepreneurs, we are jointly making our living environment more appealing and better prepared for a more extreme climate.” Ariane Hoog Vice Chair, Amstel, Gooi en Vecht district water board
“With a view to a sustainable future for our cities, water and spatial planning go hand in hand. Combining is only logical. There are plenty of opportunities for climate-proofing the city, in concert with municipal authorities, residents, companies, and other parties involved. Working alone seems quicker sometimes, but together you really accomplish more.” Paul van den Eijnden Chair, Schieland en Krimpenerwaard district water board
Climate-resilient area development The most natural thing in the world
Area development involves many different parties (such as developers, real estate investors, governments, and housing corporations). Frequently, these parties focus on different goals. Furthermore, current and future residents just want everything to be “properly arranged”, without additional expenses. As a result, attention to climate-resilient planning is by no means a matter of course. The challenge is finding a shared goal with respect to climate adaptation, thus demonstrating that a climate-resilient design will not be more expensive and may possibly be profitable in the long run.
Climate adaptation showcase
The key question in this issue is: “How can we factor in climate resilience in area developments, in both new and existing urban areas?” We would like to accelerate the process and showcase practical examples.
Cards on the table
The parties need to gain insight into each other’s stakes; they must “show their cards”. Thus, an approach will be formulated that makes climate-resilient planning common property. The approach will be further developed through an interaction between theory and practice. Whatever is devised indoors will be applied outdoors and vice versa. By showcasing good practices we aim to inspire others to embark on climate-resilient area development. Thus, proper arrangements will automatically include climate-resilient planning!
“Heat stress and increasingly heavier downpours force us to add increasingly more greenery and water in our cities. This makes the residents quite happy. We restore urban water channels, our cities become green rather than grey.� Maryann Schreurs Alderman, Eindhoven
Nature-Based Solutions
Higher returns from climate-adaptive measures
Opting for Nature-Based Solutions is opting for a climate-resilient planning of urban areas, while at the same time enhancing the city’s appeal, improving the health of its residents, and increasing social cohesion in its neighbourhoods. Yet the Nature-Based Solutions approach is still seldom presented to decision-makers as a serious alternative.
Substantiation in both theory and practice
In three cities, we will start collecting additional practical “evidence� for the application of Nature-Based Solutions. In addition, we will commission research intended to expand knowledge about and awareness of Nature-Based Solutions. This will generate a toolkit that other cities may use for their own initiatives.
Work is already in progress!
Zwolle is rolling out a pilot aimed at combating pluvial flooding and heat stress in a residential area, by seeking comprehensive alternatives for asphalted roads. Dordrecht is tackling pluvial flooding in urban parks and exploring measures that will enhance the climate-adaptive and recreational functions of such parks. Eindhoven is focusing on boosting the effectiveness of measures aimed at greening and de-paving the city.
“If it were up to me, climate-proofing the living environment would be a matter of course in all spatial planning projects. This needs to be addressed in its entirety within the municipal organisation, but also in concert with the education sector, institutions, and other governments. This enables you to make the most of opportunities, link issues, and combine agendas.” Paul de Beer Alderman, Breda
“The district water board would like to tie in with citizens’ initiatives. The City Deal is a wonderful opportunity for involving the surrounding area in water management, and raising water awareness among residents.” Hans de Jong Board member, Drents Overijsselse Delta district water board
Competency development From trendsetters to mainstream
For many professionals within and outside the government, climate-resilient planning is not yet standard practice. Moreover, the group of trendsetters appears to differ from one city to the next: in the one city, designers take the lead, in another, sewerage experts, for example. Furthermore, they have developed a range of methods, procedures and tools to ensure that climate adaptation is actually factored in and observed until the realisation phase of a project.
Training course
In this project, we are developing a training course for and by climate professionals, aimed at expanding the innovative capacity of municipalities and water authorities. The essence of the training course is a series of sessions encouraging the
exchange of knowledge using the city-to-city learning approach. The sessions will focus on the change competencies that are required of climate professionals.
Practical experience and dialogue
In each series of sessions, one of the City Deal partners will prepare a case based on their own practice, enabling the participants to learn from its innovative aspects. Practical experience and dialogue are key. The ultimate goal is the further elaboration of city-to-city learning and developing more widely applicable methods, procedures, and tools for climate-proofing all our cities.
“Climate-proofing a city requires collaboration with its residents. Private property accounts for the bulk of the city. Climate-proofing is a task that concerns everyone.” Joris Wijsmuller Alderman, The Hague
“I sometimes compare climate-proofing your environment to burglar-proofing your home. Many people do so only after having been burgled. We want to prevent ‘if only I had’ situations. The climate is already changing. We need to make headway rapidly.” Marcel Houtzager Chair, Delfland district water board
Social initiatives
Joining forces to climate-proof the city Residential efforts are essential when it comes to adapting a city to climate change. Citizens can construct green roofs, raise their doorsteps, and green their garden or street in order to prevent pluvial flooding and reduce heat stress.
Encourage residents
Over recent years, a range of projects have been initiated to encourage residents to take action. Examples are Operatie Steenbreek [Operation Saxifrage] and Amsterdam Rainproof. Residents have also developed all sorts of wonderful initiatives. Some work out well; others are less fruitful than was hoped for. We would like to analyse and share the know-how and experiences amassed in these projects. What works, what does not work? How can we improve the results?
Support initiatives
What moves residents to take action? And how can governments effectively tie in to resolve climate issues? The answer to these questions will differ from one resident and city to the next. In Zwolle, Dordrecht, The Hague, Amersfoort and other cities, we are going to look for stories, identify where policy clashes with actual practice, and to seek solutions that make residents and other stakeholders proud. Citizens, climate professionals, and administrators will enter into dialogue to discover shared interests that may lead to new forms of collaboration regarding climate issues.
“Together with knowledge institutes and the business community, Rotterdam is participating in many international networks. Thus we not only market Dutch expertise, we also learn from best practices in other countries. The City Deal enables other Dutch cities and their business communities to tie in with these networks.� Pex Langenberg, Alderman, municipality of Rotterdam
International entrepreneurship Strengthening leading position Our goal is to strengthen the leading position of the Netherlands in Europe and the world with the innovative Dutch Climate-Adaptive Cities approach as an export product. We are also looking into the use of European subsidies for concrete pilot projects in our own cities, and examining opportunities for international collaboration.
Targeted presentation
Our cities constitute a joint “Living Lab” for Climate-Adaptive Cities that attracts a great deal of international attention. We are drawing up a “menu map” showing what our various cities have to offer. This not only yields a great showcase, it also improves the coordination of supply and demand, enables international visitors to target relevant information, and serves to liaise appropriate stakeholders.
International visibility
In addition to the “menu map” as the end product of this project, we are working on a calendar featuring all the international events that are relevant to our positioning and branding. Of course we also participate in international initiatives, such as the International Water Ambition and the Climate Adaptation Partnership. Through these initiatives, we intend to learn from cities abroad.
Organisation The City Deal Climate Adaptation is a collaborative agreement. Every participant is represented on the core team. This team organises plenary sessions and is responsible for the annual evaluation. This evaluation underpins the schedule for the year ahead that is drawn up during an annual meeting. Each project, pilot and initiative has its own project team that monitors quality and progress. In addition, each project has an administrative team that critically reflects on its objectives and results, and helps to identify barriers and opportunities at the national level. Through the strategy group, these are linked to the current “agendas for change”. These agendas may pertain to governance and funding, legislation, or publicprivate cooperation. The members of the strategy group are expected to liaise actively with their own networks, such as sectors, legislators, and national steering groups.
The strategy group is composed of four permanent external members and four rotating representatives of the City Deal partners: • Henk Ovink (Special Envoy for International Water Affairs for the Kingdom of the Netherlands) • Professor Maarten Hajer (Utrecht University) • Nynke Schaaf (Nederland Kantelt, founder of ConComCow) • Ina Adema (Chair of the Water Committee, Association of Netherlands Municipalities VNG) • Annemieke Nijhof (Managing Director, Tauw) • Heleen Herbert (Commercial Director, Heijmans) • Ed Anker (Alderman, municipality of Zwolle) • Frans ter Maten (Chair, Vallei en Veluwe district water board)
Want to join?
Does your organisation endorse the goals of the City Deal Climate Adaptation, and are you prepared to contribute manpower and resources? Then you may possibly join us upon the adoption of the next annual schedule. For more information, please contact info@citydealclimateadaptation.nl.
Municipality of Rotterdam Municipality of Zwolle Ministry of Infrastructure and the Environment Delfland district water board Schieland en Krimpernerwaard district water board Amstel, Gooi en Vecht district water board Drents Overijsselse Delta district water board Vallei en Veluwe district water board Province of Overijssel
Collaborative partners BPD North-East region VHG sector organisation Ecoshape Hanze University of Applied Sciences Heijmans Amsterdam University of Applied Sciences Kennisland NWP
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RDC Tauw
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competency development
Municipality of Den Haag
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Municipality of Breda
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Colophon Implementation City Deal Climate Adaptation Coordination Team Design and editing Donkigotte Photos Alderman Wijsmuller: Roos Trommelen Alderman Langenberg: Marc Nolte Zwarte Water/Frankhuis Zwolle: Raymond van Olphen Printing De Swart Den Haag Š September 2016