essay-series

ESSAY SERIES TRANSITIONS IN PLANNING
– CHALLENGES OF THE 21TH CENTURY FOR DUTCH SPATIAL PLANNING

From Fast Forward to Past Forward

The importance of a heritage-based planning approach in tackling drought and water scarcity in the sandy areas of the Netherlands

Climate change requires that the Dutch planning community rethinks its prevailing approach to water management. One impulse for this is that the Netherlands is increasingly confronted with drought. This is a growing problem, particularly on the elevated sandy soils in the eastern and southern parts of the country. There, regional water authorities, farmers and estate owners are confronted with extremely dry conditions during the growing season. As a result, active measures need to be taken to hold all water. Sending water is impossible, but the available precipitation can be put to much better use.

This essay argues that pre-industrial land use and historical water structures, systems and practices can be helpful to do so. Based on the revitalization of a medieval watermill landscape in Noord-Brabant and the Lankheet Estate in Overijssel, the essay illustrates how to link these structures, systems and practices of the past to a future which is more drought resilient. Both cases show that climate adaptation planning can benefit from cultural heritage. Consequently, the essay makes a plea for a heritage-based planning approach in tackling drought and water scarcity. For that approach to succeed, a closer cooperation between the separate disciplinary and professional fields of water management and heritage conservation will be needed.

Key words: drought, water scarcity, sandy soils, cultural heritage, the Netherlands.

About the authors

Joks Janssen is parttime Professor of Practice in Regional wellbeing and Sustainability at Tilburg University. He is interested in how regional development can support more sustainable places and communities.

Marijn van Asseldonk is educated as an environmental sociologist. He works as a researcher at Het PON & Telos in Tilburg, where he was involved in drafting the report of the Special Committee on drought in Noord-Brabant.