Events

Climate change, increasing rainfall, sea level rise, and flood risk pose significant challenges for low-lying countries such as The Netherlands. Historically, Amsterdam has devised a number of strategies to deal with water problems in the city.

In this symposium organized at the occasion of World Water Day, we look back to ingenuous solutions and cultural practices of the past, and look forward to new forms of urban design and ‘hydrocitizenship’. Hydrocitizenship (‘waterburgerschap’) as a new concept in international scholarly debate among environmental historians and geographers, and environmental scientists which encompasses heightened awareness of the meaning and value of water among citizens and both bottom-up and top-down community engagement for sustainable water management.