A New Approach to Flood Control Makes 'Room for the River'

Letty Reimerink explains the unusual response by the city of Nijmegan in the Netherlands to a 1995 flood event along the banks of the River Waal. Although the flood control project underway in Nijmegan is unique, as Reimerink explains, it's also "filled with ideas that river cities anywhere can learn from."

The Nijmegan model is exemplary for two reasons:

• "First, Nijmegen is not simply raising or strengthening its dikes, which might seem like the obvious solution. Instead, it is moving some dikes back from the river, essentially creating a much wider floodplain."
• The second reason is the additional benefits to land use and development that will be created by the project. The project will create to new neighborhoods for development and four new bridges to connect this " new urban heart" in the middle of the river.

The project in Nijmegan is one example of a national program called Room for the River. According to Reimerink, "The project in Nijmegen — Room for the River Waal — is the biggest and most awe-inspiring of the national program." The article details more of the specifics of the Nijmegan as well as the political support that the project required for fruition. The article concludes with a discussion of the challenges still facing Nijmegen if it wants to take full advantage of its new relationship with the river.