Between adaptability and the urge to control: making long-term water policies in the Netherlands

Restemeyer, B., van den Brink, M. and Woltjer, J. 2017. Between adaptability and the urge to control: making long-term water policies in the Netherlands. Journal of Environmental Planning and Management. 60 (5), pp. 920-940. https://doi.org/10.1080/09640568.2016.1189403

TitleBetween adaptability and the urge to control: making long-term water policies in the Netherlands
AuthorsRestemeyer, B., van den Brink, M. and Woltjer, J.
Abstract

Triggered by recent flood catastrophes and increasing concerns about climate change, scientists as well as policy makers increasingly call for making long-term water policies to enable a transformation towards flood resilience. A key question is how to make these long-term policies adaptive so that they are able to deal with uncertainties and changing circumstances. The paper proposes three conditions for making long-term water policies adaptive, which are then used to evaluate a new Dutch water policy approach called ‘Adaptive Delta Management’. Analysing this national policy approach and its translation to the Rotterdam region reveals that Dutch policymakers are torn between adaptability and the urge to control. Reflecting on this dilemma, the paper suggests a stronger focus on monitoring and learning to strengthen the adaptability of long-term water policies. Moreover, increasing the adaptive capacity of society also requires a stronger engagement with local stakeholders including citizens and businesses.

KeywordsWater policies, Netherlands
JournalJournal of Environmental Planning and Management
Journal citation60 (5), pp. 920-940
ISSN0964-0568
Year2017
PublisherTaylor & Francis
Accepted author manuscript
Publisher's version
Digital Object Identifier (DOI)https://doi.org/10.1080/09640568.2016.1189403
Publication dates
Published05 Aug 2016
Published online05 Aug 2016
Published in print2017
LicenseCC BY 4.0

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