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Deltares | R&D Highlights 2015 Adaptive Delta Planning
The City of Utrecht and the Jaarbeurs Fair & Exhibition Centre are developing plans for a greener, and more comfortable, attractive and climate-resilient Centre-West area in the city. A Climate-KIC project team - with experts from Deltares, TNO and the Utrecht Sustainability Institute - provided assistance by quantifying climate vulnerability in the area, and by formulating the adaptation requirements for flooding due to extreme rainfall, for drought and for heat stress reduction. Furthermore, Deltares has helped the local stakeholders to create three effective and attractive alternative packages of blue-green adaptation measures. On the basis of the available data for the project area, best practices were identified to reduce the vulnerability of the area and inspire potential developers.
Blue-green adaptation measures such as green roofs, bioswales, porous pavements and water squares can enhance the climate resilience of an area and also make the area more comfortable and attractive. Services, benefits and opportunities for a number of blue-green measures were therefore identified, as were the water quantity and water quality required to harvest those benefits. Particular attention was paid to the opportunities afforded by a rooftop greenhouse since the active use of the large rooftop area of the Jaarbeurs for food production and accommodation would be a welcome development.
Working with the local stakeholders and the Adaptation Support Tool (page 82) as a planning support system, we investigated to what extent the adaptation assignments can be met by
implementing blue-green adaptation measures in the project area. Representatives of the city, the Jaarbeurs and the project team co-created three alternatives that not only meet the adaptation objectives but also produce interesting services and benefits: a Green Development alternative with a focus on green solutions, a High Urban Density alternative that emphasises the large numbers of residents and visitors, and a Maximising Benefits alternative combining the best of both worlds.
Results show that the water storage, the water retention and the peak flow reduction requirements can be met, albeit only after substantial investments. Reduction objectives for heat stress will be achieved at the most vulnerable sites if extra water is supplied to the adaptation features during hot dry spells. Other benefits of the proposed adaptation measures were assessed in a qualitative way because the uncertainties about preferences, size and construction do not allow for a quantification of the benefits at this early stage in the planning process. Most of the proposed adaptation solutions can be combined with adaptation measures that were brought forward in the field of traffic management and measures for closing energy cycles and electric power generation. The City of Utrecht and Jaarbeurs have started on the further elaboration of these initial conceptual plans to see how they can best harvest the economic, social, environmental and health benefits of the projected adaptation measures.
Sustainable and green
urban development in
Utrecht
Further reading:
Van de Ven et al. (2016) Green, comfortable, attractive and climate resilient Utrecht Centre-West area. Deltares report 1220357-001
frans.vandeven@deltares.nl T +31(0)88 335 7826
