The battle against the water is a collective effort. Ever since the first dikes were built in the Netherlands, consultation and collaboration have been used as strategies to realize and maintain this practice. The water boards are the oldest form of democratic governance in the Netherlands, focused on water management and safety. The water boards still exist and have a democratically elected leadership.

For centuries, the battle against the water was fought by means of the manual construction of dikes and the use of windmills. The mills pumped the water from the polders with a scoop wheel or an auger. In this way, lakes could be pumped dry and rainwater was drained from low-lying areas.

The landscape north of Amsterdam historically consisted of large lakes. These were pumped dry by order of wealthy Amsterdam entrepreneurs. This is how they invested their assets. By means of dikes, canals and windmills, large and deep lakes could be kept dry by dividing them into a number of smaller polders. The windmills were placed one in front of another, in order to drain the polders in stages.

The Zuiderzee, an inland sea, is centrally located in the Netherlands. During the flood of 1916, the dikes around the Zuiderzee burst and produced disastrous consequences. After this disaster, an old plan to dam the Zuiderzee was carried out.

The Zuiderzee Works provided for the construction of five large polders, of which four were realized. In this new world, new agricultural villages emerged on an unprecedented scale for the Netherlands. The entire landscape is designed by man. The new satellite city of Almere was built near Amsterdam, and in 40 years’ time it had developed into the country’s fifth-largest city.

The Delta Works connected islands in the province of Zeeland. New connections emerged along with a new, man-made landscape with opportunties for recreation and tourism. Under pressure from social protest, the dam in the Oosterschelde was turned into an open storm surge barrier that only closes in case of danger. The salt water and tides continue to flow around the barrier during normal times, to the benefit of natural ecosystems.

The Zuiderzee Works and the Delta Works protected the Netherlands against the sea. The next disaster, in 1993, came from the rivers. Climate change and strong urbanization of the water catchment areas of the Dutch rivers produce greater peak loads at high tide. Over a short period of time, large quantities of water flow from Germany, Switzerland, France and Belgium to the Dutch delta. In 1993, disaster was narrowly avoided as the central part of the country was in danger of being flooded by the rivers. A new water plan became an urgent necessity.

Improvements in water safety deeply affects the economy and society. Existing cities, monuments, nature values, agriculture, and of course all the residents and stakeholders in an area must be taken into account. Custom planning is required throughout the whole process. For the historic city of Kampen, for example, this means that flood protection is in the hands of a large group of volunteers. In a matter of hours, they can build an emergency flood defense in the city, supported by modern technology, logistics and materials.

In case of extremely high water levels, the river water can be drained via the Noordwaard polder. The buildings and important infrastructure remain dry, and people and animals can also escape from the polder when the water rises. Whereas in the old days a dike breach spelt disaster, nowadays a fascinating water spectacle emerges.

It is only a very small risk (1 in 80 per year), but if the river IJssel ever reaches a critical water level, a complete green river is ready and waiting to drain the water. This dry bed is in use for agriculture, and is always ready to serve as emergency drainage.

Customized solutions for the coast are required to preserve the ocean views from historic seaside resorts and integrate existing buildings while also reinforcing the dunes. A notable innovation is the reinforcement of dunes by concealing concrete dike infrastructure within the natural landscape. Another innovation is the installation of waterproof lining inside the dikes. The shape of the stones used in dam construction can also be optimized to attenuate wave energy.

Katwijk is a historic seaside resort. Dune reinforcement here would obstruct the prized ocean views. The solution was to construct a concealed concrete dike to allow the dunes to meet the new safety requirements while retaining their original height. The dam was developed as a parking garage that creates more space for visitors' cars.

A thousand years of working on water safety has taught us an important lesson: the work is never done. New challenges are posed by climate change, droughts, sea level rise, heat stress in cities and shortages of drinking water. These challenges and the threat of their disasterous effects call for new innovations in water safety. Technical ingenuity will be applied to find practical solutions and link water safety to economic, social, cultural and ecological co-benefits.

Climate change (sea level rise, period of unpredictable rainfall and drought, and heat stress) and the energy transition pose urgent challenges that require solutions. Designing green cities improves the living environment and spatial quality of the urban zone. Green roofs, new parks and permeable pavement all play a part in this initiative.

The Dutch approach to living with water has become an important national export product. The idea is not necessarily to implement copies of Dutch delta solutions elsewhere, but to use the knowledge generated by Dutch experts as the basis for appropriate solutions in other areas facing water challenges.