Learning from the Dutch: Technology, Management, and Water Resources Development

Hydrology and hydraulics expertise in participatory processes for climate change adaptation in the Dutch Meuse

“…The corresponding water level rise, for the current river channel geometry, would be 0.75 m on average (Figure 4) National policy aims to accommodate any increased discharge by so-called 'spatial measures' in the flood plain instead of the traditional dike strengthening, as the former is thought to be more robust in the long term. This policy was named 'Room for the River' (Bruijn & Klijn, 2001;Wiering & Driessen, 2001;Reuss, 2002). Suitable measures are: parallel river channels, deepening or widening of the river bed and/or flood plain, removal of obstacles or relocation of dikes and levees ( Figure 3), and temporary storage reservoirs.…”

Understanding how actors influence policy implementation : a comparative study of wetland restorations in New Jersey, Oregon, The Netherlands and Finland

“…The Dutch are world-renowned for manipulating the water that threatens to engulf their land. Marshes once covered the Western portion of the Netherlands; over half of the country would be regularly flooded without the support of dikes and dunes (Dicke, 2001;Reuss, 2002;Bijker, 2002;Kaijser, 2002). Constantly threatened by flooding, control of the landscape translated into both physical and economic security for the Dutch (Reuss, 2002).…”

“…(Bressers et al, 1995;Dicke, 2001;Kuks, 2002) Manipulation of land in the Netherlands began with increasing land height for housing through mound building, leading to draining land for farms (Reuss, 2002;Kaijser, 2002). Eventually a built landscape of drainage canals emerged, allowing the additional benefit of a countrywide transportation network connecting the sea to inland Europe (Kaijser, 2002).…”

“…Bijker (2002: 583) describes this not as a change of focus, but a broadening, stating that no one "questioned the basic safety goals of the Delta Law; ecological concerns were added to it". Hereafter, the goals of ecology and safety were both considered in Dutch water policy (Bijker, 2002;Reuss, 2002;Kuks, 2002). While the importance of natural areas is in some ways included in policy, decisions regarding land use feature proponents of all potential uses.…”

Transferring water management knowledge : how actors, interaction and context influence the effectiveness of Dutch-funded projects in Romania

“…This does not mean that the country's history reads like a heroic epos. Many of the water management efforts were a response to disastrous floods (Reuss, 2002).…”