We presented our research by design on long term perspectives for the Flemish-Dutch Delta and its port-, water- and energy system to the steering committee of Flemish-Dutch Delta (stuurgroep Vlaams-Nederlandse Delta).

The Delta, formed by the confluence of the Rhine, Meuse and Scheldt rivers, fulfils an essential economic role as a logistical gateway between the North Sea and Northwest Europe. Its location makes the delta especially vulnerable to climate change impacts, such as sea level rise, salinisation and extreme weather events. It is not possible to maintain the current situation.

The Flemish-Dutch Delta will undergo profound changes in the coming decades. We explored future perspectives for the Rotterdam -Antwerp (port)area. Together with Cluster Landscape (BE) and Erasmus UPT we explored which fundamental choices need to be made now to make the Flemish-Dutch Delta future-proof. The study highlights that adjustments in operations, layout and land use are necessary and require fundamental decisions now.

For this study we collaborated with the Vlaams-Nederlandse Delta Netwerk en Team Vlaamsbouwmeester, assigned by the College van Rijksbouwmeester & Rijksadviseurs.