The capital of The Netherlands, Amsterdam, is home to more than 800,000 people. Developments in water safety, water quality, and robust water infrastructure transitioned Amsterdam into an attractive, economically healthy, and safe city that scores highly in the field of water management. However, investments need to be continued to meet future challenges. Many other cities in the world have just started their transition to become water-wise. For those cities, it is important to assess current water management and governance practices, in order to set their priorities and to gain knowledge from the experiences of more advanced cities such as Amsterdam. We investigate how Amsterdam’s water management and governance developed historically and how these lessons can be used to further improve water management in Amsterdam and other cities. This retrospective analysis starts at 1672 and applies the City Blueprint Approach as a baseline water management assessment. It shows that developments in water infrastructure and water management have often been reactive in response to various crises. International knowledge exchange, implementation of integrated water resources management, and long-term planning improved the city considerably. We conclude that experiences from the past can be used to meet present and future challenges in many cities across the globe.
As one of the most famous delta cities in the world, Amsterdam exemplifies how decisions and narratives from the past can be the driving force for present-day actions and more effective design principles for future city planning. Water management in Amsterdam has often been, and frequently still is, reactive in response to water hazards, flooding, droughts, pollution and disease. While contemporary pressures urge water managers to redesign the living environment in harmony with changing water cycles, the centuries-long history of water awareness, cumulative knowledge and long-term spatial planning has led to gradual improvement throughout Amsterdam. Many solutions are still relevant today and are essential in decision making as we design a new climate-resilient future and deal with challenges such as sea-level rise and demographic change. Despite residing below sea level, the people of the delta city of Amsterdam exhibit a profound sense of confidence and security against flooding. Moreover, the material and immaterial dimensions of the water network serve as a tangible reminder of our ancestors’ deltaic identity, highlighting their contributions to our current living environment. Therefore, the water system plays a vital role in preserving Amsterdam’s urban landscapes, cultural heritage and historical significance, which also helps strengthen this delta city’s future water management and urban planning.
scite is a Brooklyn-based organization that helps researchers better discover and understand research articles through Smart Citations–citations that display the context of the citation and describe whether the article provides supporting or contrasting evidence. scite is used by students and researchers from around the world and is funded in part by the National Science Foundation and the National Institute on Drug Abuse of the National Institutes of Health.
hi@scite.ai
10624 S. Eastern Ave., Ste. A-614
Henderson, NV 89052, USA
Copyright © 2024 scite LLC. All rights reserved.
Made with 💙 for researchers
Part of the Research Solutions Family.