Research Outputs

Innovative components

The new Environmental and Planning Act acknowledges the need to balance flood safety with other societal needs. This integrated flood risk management perspective often requires innovative and pilot solutions. Some of these projects are also studied in the All-Risk program such as the Double dike and the Wide Green dike (see photos). Current law does not provide a clear answer to decisive questions that exist in practice, but usually this does not hinder the realization of such an innovation. Questions that arise with such projects are, for instance, which authority is responsible, not only for the construction, but also for management, maintenance and any liability (Double dike). Integration with other jurisdictions, such as nature conservation legislation, also plays a role (Wide Green dike). These are examples of two innovative dike reinforcement projects on the north Dutch coast. Top photo: A double dike pilot to explore possibilities for flood safety, clay mining, saltwater agriculture, nature, and recreation . Bottom photo: A wide green dike reinforced with locally extracted clay from the salt marshes along the coast to fight against the sea level rise.