Water Faculty in the Museum of Water Rotterdam

For three consecutive weekends Rotterdam was host to the Museum of Water, a traveling museum founded by British artist Amy Sharrocks which travels around the UK and Europe. Blue21’s Barbara Dal Bo Zanon was one of six scientists who participated in a Water Faculty. There water experts spoke about water conflicts, floating cities and the quest to find water on other planets. Under the guidance of Fransje Hooijmeijer, dean from the Technical University of Delft, the Water Faculty explored different aspects of water and how water can be applied in the future.

Image source: Museum of Water

Inverse explores sustainable development in Rotterdam

Online magazine Inverse investigates why the city of Rotterdam has stopped fighting the ongoing battle with water and decided to embrace the opportunities that water-based development creates for the future. Freelance journalist Lauren Razavi interviews Blue21 co-founder and director of project development at DeltaSync, Karina Czapiewska about her vision on urban environments in response to current challenges such as climate change and urban growth.

“We realized we have to look differently at how we develop our urban environments for future residents” Czapiewska explains. “Populations are growing and cities have to grow with them. Our concept is less destruction and more innovation, for the benefit of the next generation.”

The Floating Pavilion which was initiated by DeltaSync, is just one example of innovative design that characterizes Rotterdam’s architecture. Both the Head of Urban Planning for the City of Rotterdam, Mattijs van Ruijven and spokesperson for the Port of Rotterdam Authority Sjaak Poppe, share how the local government is working together with architects, artists, developers, entrepreneurs and community groups to combat climate change and reduce CO₂ emissions while continuing to develop innovative projects like the Floating Pavilion.

Read the full article on Inverse.com

Image: www.nudgesustainabilityhub.com

Cartoonist draws Floating Pavilion

Cartoonist and politician Wietske Jonker-ter Veld recently made these beautiful watercolors of the Floating Pavilion and the floating forest in the Rijnhaven.

She was visiting Rotterdam with a grandchild from her village to show her the city and was positively surprised by this sight. Jonker-ter Veld is passionate about water and nature since she was a little child and has ever since been very active in politics and environmental issues.

Thank you Wietske for offering us a new perspective!

About Wietske Jonker-Ter Veld (interview in Dutch)

 

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Rotterdam presents Resilience Strategy

On May 19, 2016, the city of Rotterdam released its Resilience Strategy. A resilient city is a city that is able to recover quickly from an incident, crisis or setback, and to come out stronger. The Strategy is outlining its plan to use initiatives including a circular economy, a climate change panel, and resilience education to address the city’s challenges.

Moderated by Paula Verhoeven (Director Urban Development Rotterdam) the event was kicked off by mayor Ahmed Aboutaleb and included inspiring talks by Michael Berkowitz (President at 100 Resilient Cities), Arnoud Molenaar (Chief Resilient Officer Rotterdam) and George Brugmans (President IABR).

Visit Resilient Rotterdam or take a look at Rotterdam’s journey to resilience

Source image: www.100resilientcities.org

 

 

 

Rotterdam #1 in Sustainable Cities Water Index

Which cities are best placed to harness water for future succes? This research conducted by Arcadis is a must read for all water pioneers around the world.

Some of the findings are that ‘European cities lead the way on the overall sustainability of their water systems and management, holding seven of the top ten places, with Rotterdam, Copenhagen and Amsterdam taking the top three rankings. However the low placings of cities like London (21st) and Rome (28th) show that additional investment is needed elsewhere in Europe. Overall, cities need to make greater investment to improve their resiliency to extreme weather events and unforeseen water shortages.’

Dive into the findings or read the full report