Flood risk in the Netherlands

Spatial Planning Challenges and Solutions

Julia Stadler

The Netherlands is a country located in northwestern Europe with overseas territories in the
Caribbean. The Netherlands has long been a global leader in mitigating flood risks. However, in the
face of climate change and rising sea levels, the Dutch face an evolving challenge in managing flood
risk through effective spatial planning. Balancing urban development, environmental preservation, and
flood protection requires innovative approaches and continuous adaptation to ensure the safety and
sustainability of communities.

Historical context

The history of the Netherlands is closely intertwined with its battle against water. For centuries, the
Dutch have lived below sea level, reclaiming land from the sea and building elaborate systems to
manage water flow. However, the threat of flooding has never been entirely eliminated. The
devastating North Sea Flood of 1953, which claimed 1,853 lives, 187,000 animals drowned, 47,300
houses were destroyed and 100,000 people lost their life’s belongings.1 It also flooded 9% of the
Netherlands’ farmland causing a huge damage to agriculture because salt water led to soil destruction.
It took 10 months to dry the flooded area and about 500 km of dams required reconstruction. This
event has lead to the much faster development of the Delta Works – system of dams, locks and flood
barriers in the Netherlands.

The Delta Works

The Delta Works system started in 1954 and was completed in 1997, at a cost of 5 billion dollars. It is
the largest flood protection system in the world, consisting of 13 dams, including barriers, sluices,
locks, dikes and levees.

Furthermore, the Delta Works have been declared one of the Seven Wonders of the Modern World by
the American Society of Civil Engineers. The Delta Works have also put the Netherlands on the
international map as a leading hydraulic engineering company. The infrastructure provides not only
flood protection but fresh drinking water and irrigation. The risk of flooding was reduced to one in
4,000 years.

The general idea of the Delta Works was to shorten the country coastline and convert them into fresh
water lakes, same as to reduce the number of dikes that had to be raised. Dams have significantly
shortened the coastline, the direct boundary between sea and land. Instead of a rugged coastline of
700 km, a roughly straight coastline of only 80 km was created.

The Delta Works not only protect the Netherlands against high water from the sea, they also contribute
to better water management and freshwater supply. In addition, they improve the accessibility of
Zeeland and new nature and recreational areas have been created, such as at the Veerse Meer which
was created by the construction of the Veerse Gatdam and Zandkreekdam. This created an attractive
area for water sports, which gave a huge boost to tourism in that area.

1
https://www.smartage.pl/plan-delta/; https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/North_Sea_flood_of_1953 [acces
14.03.2024]
The project’s structures also improved the road traffic between various islands, acting as bridges.
Shipping was considerably improved, especially between Rotterdam and Antwerpen. Also large parts
of Zeeland became more accessible for inland shipping.

By closing off estuaries, the new flood defenses in the Southwest Delta ensured greater availability of
fresh water. Farmers, drinking water companies and industry have increasingly made use of this over
the years. Unfortunately, this also generated environmental problems. At the same time, it turned out
that nature and water quality were suffering. Nowadays, a lot of actions are taken to restore the
ecological system without endangering water safety.

Fight against climate change

Especially protected from flooding must be the lowest areas in the Netherlands. These are mainly
polder areas, i.e. coastal areas, lakes and bays, which have been drained and developed through the
construction of dikes. One example of such places is Almere, located in the province of Flevoland, the
youngest city in the Netherlands, whose construction began in 1976 in polder areas.

Continuous improvement and monitoring of flood protection systems is very important, because in
the event of a flood, 60% of the Netherlands could be inundated.2 Currently, work on flood protection
systems and other related aspects is carried out, among others, using documents such as the Delta
Program.

The document currently in force is the National Delta Programme - Now for the Future, which was
passed in 2023. This national program stipulates that the Netherlands must become a climate-resilient
and water-abundant country by 2050 and the probability of a fatal casualty as a result of a flood will
be only 0.001% per year (1 in 100,000). The Delta Program lays out a strategy for the future on how
the Netherlands can be protected from floods and ensure sufficient fresh water.3

„But the climate continues to change and the population and economy also change. The Delta Program
looks ahead to what challenges the Netherlands faces and what other developments it must take into
account such as energy, housing, agriculture and nature that are currently taking place.” 2

Smaller water retention projects such as creating water squares, retention basins or reducing the
amount of paved areas in favor of creating green spaces are also very crucial. Such actions, although
usually undertaken on a local scale, have a huge impact on the retention capacity of the entire country.
In addition to national documents, the Netherlands also has regional-scale planning documents for
each of its 12 provinces. Also, many cities and municipalities have their own local-scale documents,
and the number is steadily increasing.

The Netherlands can boast of many water retention projects. One of the flagship project is the first
full-scale water square built in 2013 in Rotterdam, in a high-flood risk zone. The Benthemplein water
square is both reservoir for storing rainwater and a recreational public space. The square consisting of
3 bassins can retain nearly 2 million liters of water, which can significatly help to prevent flooding. This
project is part of a strategy to increase resilience to climate change through adaptation measures.4

2
Rijkswaterstraat, Ministry od Infrastructure and Water Management,
https://www.rijkswaterstaat.nl/water/waterbeheer/bescherming-tegen-het-water/maatregelen-om-
overstromingen-te-voorkomen/deltaprogramma-waterveiligheid-zoetwater-en-ruimtelijke-adaptatie [acces
15.03.2024]
3
National Delta Programme 2024, September 2023, https://english.deltaprogramma.nl [acces 16.03.2024]
4
De Urbanisten, Watersquare Benthemplein, https://www.urbanisten.nl [acces 16.03.2024]
 Sustainable urban planning

Very importan aspect of minimalising flood risk is sustainable urban planning, such as avoiding
development of flood-prone areas, preservation and restoration of natural areas (for example
wetlands, floodplains and green spaces) and creating new green areas in already existing urban
environment. These areas perform absorption and retention functions, capable of reducing the risk of
flooding by absorbing excess water and reducing erosion.

Various cities in the Netherlands are submitting their projects to the Green Cities Europe competition5,
which has been selecting the best inspiring and innovative green infrastructure projects since 2020.
Projects from the cities of Nijverdal, Almere, Alkmaar and Utrecht have been submitted to the
competition consecutively, two of which have been awarded. Submitted projects ranged from the
construction of a climate change-adapted city center in Nijverdal, a biophilic school in Almere, to the
greening of public spaces at various scales.

The first awarded project titled "Greening and biodiversity Alkmaar" (original title: „Vergroenen en
Biodiversiteit Alkmaar”) is a project from Alkmaar, which won first prize. The plan included several
initiatives in different locations in the city of Alkmaar. The premise was to make a difference in a short
period of time, so that neglected cobblestone squares were transformed into beautiful green spaces
within a few months. As a result, about 8,000 square meters of paved surfaces have been removed in
favor of permeable surfaces with water retention properties, reducing the possible risk of flooding in
the event of excessive rainfall and creating a friendly space for plants, animals and people.

The next third prize winning project „Utrecht” is a project that consists of three different locations in
the city of Utrecht - Park Oosterspoorbaan (revitalization of the area of a disused railway line),
Catharijnesingel (reconstruction of the city canal, which was previously drained to create a road) and
last but not least - Jaarbeursplein square with Croeselaan. None of the projects has a specific economic
development scope, the main goal is to improve the quality of life and stay in Utrecht, resulting in a
more resilient and attractive place to live and visit, which will indirectly improve the city's future
economic prospects. Each of these projects focuses on reducing paved surfaces and adding water and
trees to the urban space. Collectively, smaller projects have a significant positive impact on climate
change adaptation. With its actions in the field of blue-green infrastructure, the city of Utrecht has
become a role model, showing in what direction cities should develop now, how to restore space to
people (not cars) and how to repair design mistakes made in the past, such as restoring the city canal.

Summary

The Netherlands is a model example on a European and global scale of how a country can deal with
flood risks arising from both geography and climate change, which are now a threat to every country.
The Netherlands is taking advanced measures on a national scale, such as Delta Works or the Delta
Program, as well as on a local scale. Using the country as an example, we can see how, through
continuous, multifaceted and multi-scalar actions, it is possible to create a safe and becoming climate-
resilient place to live.

5
Green Cities Europe, https://award.thegreencities.eu [acces 17.03.2024]
Bibliography:

 https://www.water-technology.net/projects/delta-works-flood-netherlands/
 https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Delta_Works
 https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/North_Sea_flood_of_1953
 https://www.smartage.pl/plan-delta/
 https://www.rijkswaterstaat.nl/water/waterbeheer/bescherming-tegen-het-
water/waterkeringen/deltawerken
 https://www.rijkswaterstaat.nl/water/waterbeheer/bescherming-tegen-het-
water/maatregelen-om-overstromingen-te-voorkomen/deltaprogramma-waterveiligheid-
zoetwater-en-ruimtelijke-adaptatie
 https://english.deltaprogramma.nl
 https://english.deltaprogramma.nl/documents/publications/2023/09/19/delta-programme-
2024-english
 List of provinces conducting climate action along with planning documents:
https://klimaatadaptatienederland.nl/overheden/provincies/
 https://www.urbanisten.nl/work/benthemplein
 https://stormwater.wef.org/2014/03/first-full-scale-water-square-opens-rotterdam/
 https://award.thegreencities.eu