Conceptualizing flexibility for multifunctional flood defenses

The very existence of the Netherlands and its prosperity is tightly linked to the provision of sufficient and reliable flood protection. Flood risk can change, as it is influenced by continually changing environmental and socio-economic factors. In such a dynamic situation, maintaining sufficient safety requires continuous investment in maintenance and reinforcement of the flood defenses. Often, flood defense reinforcement requires more space, which is scarce in densely populated urban areas. While the competing needs of housing, commerce, transportation, and agriculture have to fit in a relatively small surface area in the Netherlands, the safety of the living environment and the quality of the landscape have to be maintained as well. One way that has been suggested to deal with the conflict between flood protection and urbanization is by combining activities in the available space. This can be achieved by integrating urban functions into the flood defenses; these are referred to as multifunctional flood defenses.