As the risk of droughts, heat stress, flooding, water nuisance and wildfires is increasing due to climate change, we need to rethink the governance and management of infrastructure. As risks are becoming increasingly difficult to predict, the socio-technical-environmental systems that provide safety and liveability need to become more resilient. In densely populated countries such as the Netherlands, hard infrastructure plays a key role in reducing risks. Yet, the resilience of our infrastructure system also depends on other elements, such as the design of our landscapes, collaboration between relevant organizations, preparedness of citizens and so on. This is emphasized in the concept of multi-layered safety; currently applied mostly in flood risk management but equally relevant to the management of other climate risks (droughts, heat stress, water nuisance, wildfires). When it was introduced in the Dutch National Water Plan in 2009, the multi-layered safety concept distinguished between three layers: (1) prevention; (2) land use planning; and (3) emergency-response management (cf. Bosoni et al., 2021; Van Buuren et al., 2016). In response to the floodings in Limburg, recovery and awareness were added as additional layers (article in H2O).
Recognizing the multi-faceted nature of climate-resilience, this MSc thesis project aims to explore how governments and other actors across various regions in the Netherlands collaborate on the challenge of providing safety in a changing climate. In your assignment, you pay attention to collaboration between municipalities (342), regional water authorities (21), provinces (12) and safety regions (25). Depending on feasibility and interest, collaboration with other actors such as housing corporations, nature organizations or insurances could be studied as well. Municipalities, regional water authorities and provinces already collaborate on improving climate resilience in 45 so-called work regions for the implementation of the Delta Plan on Spatial Adaptation. Safety regions have an advisory role. To what extent and how they are collaborating on climate safety across diverse regions is unknown. Your assignment aims to map existing collaborations with an eye on the implementation of multi-layered safety for the above-mentioned climate risks and provides suggestions and how to improve collaboration.
For this research, you will closely collaborate with the programme leader climate safety of the Netherlands Institute for Public Safety (the knowledge institute of the safety regions). Data will be collected using a combination of qualitative methods (documents, interviews) and possibly a survey.
Scientific publications on multi-layered safety
- Bosoni, M., Tempels, B., & Hartmann, T. (2021). Understanding integration within the Dutch multi-layer safety approach to flood risk management. International Journal of River Basin Management, 1-7, 81–87. https://doi.org/10.1080/15715124.2021.1915321
- Oukes, C., Leendertse, W., & Arts, J. (2022). Enhancing the use of flood resilient spatial planning in Dutch water management. A study of barriers and opportunities in practice. Planning Theory & Practice, 23(2), 212–232. https://doi.org/10.1080/14649357.2022.2034921
- Van Buuren, A., Ellen, G. J., & Warner, J. F. (2016). Pathdependency and policy learning in the Dutch delta: Toward more resilient flood risk management in the Netherlands? Ecology and Society, 21(4), 43.
References
- NIPV programma klimaatveiligheid (in Dutch): https://nipv.nl/programma-klimaatveiligheid/
- Deltaplan Ruimtelijke Adaptatie (in Dutch): https://www.deltaprogramma.nl/themas/ruimtelijke-adaptatie/deltaplan
- Delta Plan for Spatial Adaptation (in English): https://english.deltaprogramma.nl/three-topics/spatial-adaptation/delta-plan
- Over meerlaagsveiligheid (in Dutch): https://www.h2owaternetwerk.nl/h2o-actueel/beleidstafel-ook-aandacht-voor-waterbewustzijn-en-herstel-schade-extreme-wateroverlast and https://www.stowa.nl/deltafacts/waterveiligheid/innovatieve-dijkconcepten/meerlaagsveiligheid-de-praktijk
- Over de implementatie van meerlaagsveiligheid in waterveiligheid: https://www.rekenkamer.nl/publicaties/rapporten/2023/10/12/voorbij-de-dijk
Supervision
Are you interested in this assignment? Contact the Master thesis coordinator:
