Article

Shared-use of Flood Defenses

Redactie openresearch.amsterdam

Many regions face an increasing flood risk as a result of sea-level rise, climate change, and a growing population in flood prone deltas. Flood protection infrastructure like dikes, levees, and barriers is essential in reducing the threat of flooding. As areas are redeveloped for the construction or reinforcement of flood protection, often the question arises whether other developments like housing, recreational facilities or nature restoration, can be combined with the flood protection infrastructure as well.

When adapting to higher extreme water levels and storm events in the future, the types of uses that can be maintained on or nearby flood defences are intrinsically linked to the flood protection measures implemented. While combining other activities with flood protection can have many benefits in principle, in practise there are some obstacles remaining preventing the construction of such multifunctional flood defences. One of those obstacles is a lack of knowledge on the safety provided by multifunctional flood protection measures due to the uncertainties introduced. This PhD research addresses this obstacle by developing a framework to assess the safety of multifunctional flood protection measures.

Source: Marijnissen, R.J.C. 2021. Shared-use of Flood Defenses. Wageningen University & Research. 

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Icon image: Waterschap Vallei en Veluwe - dijk

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