Key Lessons
Rotterdam’s transformative approach to rising sea levels is a consequence of its location and geography as a low lying city vulnerable to water. The 1953 flood scenarios under which Rotterdam begun its climate change adaptation and mitigation strategy differs dramatically to long term risks of the climate change faced by the City of Sydney. Sydney is also coastal city at risk from rising sea levels but due to its geography it is not situated on a flooding river delta and experiences reduced scenarios of storm surges and high river flow requiring transformative action in the capital investment of a sea wall or sea defenses. However through its experience with mitigating water inundation Rotterdam has emerged as a leader in water management and climate adaptation, generating value in the expertise of its water boards and exporting its knowledge to other cities affected by climate change.
Sydney’s 2030 vision and climate adaptation plan 2014 place the risk of rising sea levels at a lower priority to other climate change targets, such as that of reducing co2 emissions. However given the uncertainty of rising sea levels and the impacts it can have on an unprotected city it is worth learning from the City of Rotterdam in its efforts to coordinate its adaptation strategy through integrated governance, spatial planning and city wide innovations to dealing with water storage & green roofs and its mitigation strategy is reducing C02 emissions. The benefits for the City of Sydney in adopting the successful policies of Rotterdam, are not only increased resilience to the effects of climate change but in also creating new jobs, improving upon urban design & building codes and an attractive green city that is environmentally adaptable (Rotterdam Climate Initiative, 2013).
Governance
The city of Sydney can learn from the execution of Rotterdam’s climate change strategy with its successful integration of three tiers of government, the port authority, private industry and the community in creating a city wide solutions that employ both large & small scale solutions (Rotterdam Climate Initiative, 2014). Furthermore Rotterdam has successfully employed a persuasive awareness program in educating its community to adopt mitigation strategies and to taking climate sensitive action (Rotterdam Climate Initiative, 2014).
Spatial Planning
The design of public recreation areas and public works serving secondary functions integrated with social amenity & the environment are innovative solutions that can be applied to how the City of Sydney plans and develops its city infrastructure in preparation of a sea level rise in low lying flood risk areas of Circular Quay and Darling Harbour. Rotterdam’s multifunctional design of terraced dykes which serve both the purpose of sea defense and social amenity with green space on top of each dyke is a good example of spatial planning. Another example is the design of recreational water ways serving a similar dual purpose (Rotterdam Climate Initiative, 2014).
Urban Design Innovation
The City of Sydney faces the same pressures of creating adaptive solutions to protecting its housing & infrastructure from water inundation where there is often little public space for major projects. Rotterdam is an example of integrating urban functions with fulfilling climate change initiatives such as water storage & blue roofs on top of or under carparks (Kruisplein and in Museum Park), water squares with public uses (Bellamyplein), green roofs (Alexandrium) and adaptive floating buildings (Rijnhaven) (Rotterdam Climate Initiative, 2014) (Braw, 2013). On a larger scale Rotterdam aims combine these ideas to creating 1,600 ha of adaptive space near the waterfront, part of which forms the Stadshavens district is one of Europe’s largest urban renewal projects (Piert Dircke, 2015). These initiatives fall under ‘waterproof design’ which can improve Sydney’s resilience to water inundation & also fulfill its climate change initiatives providing an integrated design approach to protecting the built environment.
Rotterdam’s transformative approach to rising sea levels is a consequence of its location and geography as a low lying city vulnerable to water. The 1953 flood scenarios under which Rotterdam begun its climate change adaptation and mitigation strategy differs dramatically to long term risks of the climate change faced by the City of Sydney. Sydney is also coastal city at risk from rising sea levels but due to its geography it is not situated on a flooding river delta and experiences reduced scenarios of storm surges and high river flow requiring transformative action in the capital investment of a sea wall or sea defenses. However through its experience with mitigating water inundation Rotterdam has emerged as a leader in water management and climate adaptation, generating value in the expertise of its water boards and exporting its knowledge to other cities affected by climate change.
Sydney’s 2030 vision and climate adaptation plan 2014 place the risk of rising sea levels at a lower priority to other climate change targets, such as that of reducing co2 emissions. However given the uncertainty of rising sea levels and the impacts it can have on an unprotected city it is worth learning from the City of Rotterdam in its efforts to coordinate its adaptation strategy through integrated governance, spatial planning and city wide innovations to dealing with water storage & green roofs and its mitigation strategy is reducing C02 emissions. The benefits for the City of Sydney in adopting the successful policies of Rotterdam, are not only increased resilience to the effects of climate change but in also creating new jobs, improving upon urban design & building codes and an attractive green city that is environmentally adaptable (Rotterdam Climate Initiative, 2013).
Governance
The city of Sydney can learn from the execution of Rotterdam’s climate change strategy with its successful integration of three tiers of government, the port authority, private industry and the community in creating a city wide solutions that employ both large & small scale solutions (Rotterdam Climate Initiative, 2014). Furthermore Rotterdam has successfully employed a persuasive awareness program in educating its community to adopt mitigation strategies and to taking climate sensitive action (Rotterdam Climate Initiative, 2014).
Spatial Planning
The design of public recreation areas and public works serving secondary functions integrated with social amenity & the environment are innovative solutions that can be applied to how the City of Sydney plans and develops its city infrastructure in preparation of a sea level rise in low lying flood risk areas of Circular Quay and Darling Harbour. Rotterdam’s multifunctional design of terraced dykes which serve both the purpose of sea defense and social amenity with green space on top of each dyke is a good example of spatial planning. Another example is the design of recreational water ways serving a similar dual purpose (Rotterdam Climate Initiative, 2014).
Urban Design Innovation
The City of Sydney faces the same pressures of creating adaptive solutions to protecting its housing & infrastructure from water inundation where there is often little public space for major projects. Rotterdam is an example of integrating urban functions with fulfilling climate change initiatives such as water storage & blue roofs on top of or under carparks (Kruisplein and in Museum Park), water squares with public uses (Bellamyplein), green roofs (Alexandrium) and adaptive floating buildings (Rijnhaven) (Rotterdam Climate Initiative, 2014) (Braw, 2013). On a larger scale Rotterdam aims combine these ideas to creating 1,600 ha of adaptive space near the waterfront, part of which forms the Stadshavens district is one of Europe’s largest urban renewal projects (Piert Dircke, 2015). These initiatives fall under ‘waterproof design’ which can improve Sydney’s resilience to water inundation & also fulfill its climate change initiatives providing an integrated design approach to protecting the built environment.