• University of Amsterdam

• By students,
• Data

• Water,
• Nature & Environment,
• Sustainability,
• Digital

How to improve water quality and biodiversity in Amsterdam's canals

Infograpic - Computational Social Science

This research project was conducted to help resolve a key issue presented by the Municipality of Amsterdam. Currently, the canals of Amsterdam centrum do not meet the expectations of the European Water Framework Directive. The city is tasked with raising water quality, which includes supporting biodiversity. Amsterdam is not alone in this predicament. Many cities grapple with climate change issues and are considering sustainable nature-based solutions to enhance the quality of life in their communities. Based on the semi-structured interviews conducted with water quality experts and private water technology companies, we found that pollution and boat traffic are the main drivers of water degradation in the city centre. From pollution, sewage overflows are particularly concerning. These factors can be remediated through several intervention methods. This infographic was created to display the different solutions and how impactful their implementation could be on the water quality.

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