Urban design in a dynamic delta

In urbanised coastal areas and delta areas, we are witnessing radical changes concerning the approaches of hydraulic engineering and water management as well as the approaches of spatial planning and urban design. The current change in approach in the Netherlands is a clear example. In the policy concerning flood control and water management, ‘hard core’ civil engineering approaches are discussed and substituted by approaches which emphasize resilience and working with nature. In a densely urbanised country like the Netherlands, the question is how this new approach can be combined with spatial planning and urban design goals. The ‘working with nature’ approach has been applied predominantly in rural areas while in the urbanised western part of the country a more traditional combination of ‘hard core’ hydraulic engineering and urban planning seems to be the best option. This is an obstacle for a comprehensive vision of the future of complex urban delta regions. This paper describes the Rotterdam region as an urbanised delta region ‘par excellence’ and discusses the peaceful coexistence of two different approaches. A perspective to combine both approaches in one method which enables engineers, designers and politicians to balance different options for combinations of urban development and water management is shown.