Last week I had the opportunity to give a short presentation about my research project, for the Wageningen UR Board of Directors (Fresco, Breukink, Kropff) who were interested in learning about research done by their Social Sciences Group.

1. 08/09/2014
1
The pursuit of permeability. Flood control and controlled flooding in the delta
Martijn van Staveren
Environmental Policy Group
8-9-2014
Living in deltas: opportunities and challenges
Flood management
Urbanization
Various interests
Climate change
Institutional complexity

2. 08/09/2014
2
Dutch hydraulic engineering
‘Trends’ in dealing with delta floods
1.Technological interventions versus/in conjunction with ecosystem-oriented & spatial approaches
Concerns about environmental impact of technology (short term, and longer term: delta trajectories)
New ecosystem-oriented ideas and responses to delta dynamics

3. 08/09/2014
3
‘Trends’ in dealing with delta floods
2.Introducing/preserving/restoring controlled flooding
Different drivers (top down ‘hydrocracy’ vs local action)
Social shaping of technology (both design and ‘operations’)
Place in and contribution to long term delta survival?
‘Trends’ in dealing with delta floods
3.Interest in ‘long term delta planning’
Exporting Dutch ‘approaches’ to other contexts?
Who’s delta? Stakeholders, participation and decision-making
Grasping the future – ‘the grid’:

4. 08/09/2014
4
Understanding controlled flooding
Two research lines
1.Place (and ‘role’) of controlled flooding in physical delta trajectories, hence in long term delta planning
2.Social (re-)shaping of technology (decisions, design and operation)
Findings so far
Potential ‘embedded technology’ both in the delta as well as in society, but in NL only partially achieved.
Which insights from Bangladesh and Vietnam?
Past hydraulic choices act as ‘system stabilizers and attractors’
More information
www.wageningenur.nl/enp
dynamicdeltas.blogspot.nl
Forthcoming (September 2014): Van Staveren M.F., Warner J.F., van Tatenhove J.P.M., Wester P. Let’s bring in the floods. Controlled flooding as a strategy for long term delta survival? Water International,
web/DOI: http://dx.doi.org/10.1080/02508060.2014.957510.