In the course of time, water management in the Netherlands has increasingly aimed at the transport of water: excess water is drained away quickly and water shortages are replenished from the large rivers. At the same time, the available room for water has been diminished by land reclamations, residential developments on the outer marches, etc. However, because of the rising sea level and the expected climate change more room for water will be needed. On the other hand, housing, leisure and economic activities put a heavy demand on the available space. So, water should get a more directing role in the spatial planning of the Netherlands.

Dura Vermeer has developed its own vision on water and spatial planning. In this vision attempts are being made to achieve the right balance between living on, in and with water and to strike a balance between an innovative idea and a feasible solution. Stapling and integration of functions open up lots of possibilities for this.

New Arcania
Water dominates in New Arcania. Water forms a new type of landscape in the Delta, which is characterized  by large parts of permanent water areas and alternating periodically dry areas. The water area offers shelter to an extensive ecosystem. In addition, the water has become the basis of people's daily environment. This means that the centers of population consist of physical forms which can float or are built in such a way that they can cope with fluctuating water levels. Thus, New Arcania is characterized by flood-resilient construction and spatial planning. In this way, New Arcania symbolizes an extensive archipelago with water-oriented centers of population.

The vision has been developed and was presented in 2001, as part of the Habiforum competition 'Waterlandscape of the Future'. In the meantime, the elaboration of this vision has led to the realization of projects or the development of expertise / products.


Further information
For further information on this project or Dura Vermeer: 
Mariska Mörs
m.mors@duravermeer.nl
+31 (0)23 752 84 11