9
DELTARES, JANUARY 2014
DOSSIER
Building with Nature
Interest in ‘building with nature’ is on the rise worldwide.
That is not surprising. In ever more densely-populated
coastal, delta and river areas, demand for flood protection is
increasing as a result of developments such as sea-level rise
and land subsidence. At the same time, the inhabitants of
these areas want their living environment to be sustainable.
Twinning hydraulic infrastructure and natural landscapes
would seem to represent the ideal combination. Even so,
‘
building with nature’ has not yet been applied on a wide
scale. In fact, nature is still frequently sacrificed for hard
infrastructure. Why is this? What are the obstacles? And
above all: how can we make the most of rising enthusiasm
for ‘building with nature’?
PHOTO: CORBIS