twitter
Follow us
Networks of vital importance in flood resilient cities
The efficient allocation of traffic and electricity networks is crucial for establishing flood resilient cities. This was the conclusion that Liesbeth van Riet Paap and Jean-Marie Stam reached after participating in the FRC-symposium on flood resilience in Paris. The symposium took place on the 3rd and 4th November and was led by the French partner of the FloodResilienCity-project (FRC) École des ingenieurs de la Ville de Paris (EIVP). Room for the River is the lead partner in the FRC-project and, as a result, project manager Josan Tielen provided a general presentation about the Room for the River approach.
It turned out that the Paris School of Engineers had chosen a very ‘hot topic’ for the symposium; in the same week there were floods in both Bangkok and Dublin, the south of France where the river Var overflowed and the Italian city Genoa where the river Bisagno flooded.
The symposium examined the subject of flood resilience within cities from a range of perspectives. The first day’s focus lay on the idea of resilience throughout history. Readings reflected upon archaeological analyses of disasters in cities (such as Pompeï), historical disaster evidence and the archaeology of the future. A Rotterdam-based company also presented its concept of floating cities.
On the second day the same issue was considered from a spatial perspective. The approach of the German FRC-Partner Stadtwerke Mainz AG, which is currently reconstructing the harbour district, was particularly interesting. Road markings have been applied for emergency services; inhabitants are warned of flood risks well in advance by the city council and passages between buildings have been constructed to enable individuals to move from one side of the building to the other. New Orleans’ recovery after hurricane Katrina was also discussed; over the last two years many inhabitants have been able to return to their normal lives once again. Josan Tielen then presented the Room for the River approach. One of the sessions reflected upon the effects of flooding on services and networks, such as traffic and electricity networks, water supplies and sewerage systems. An example was provided to illustrate the point: after the flooding in the Vendée in the west of France as a result of hurricane Xyntia in 2010, the amount of litter which required disposal was equivalent to seven years of normal household waste. Waste disposal centres usually struggle to cope with this type of increase but the region was able to manage due to a number of waste disposal centres from outside the area being contracted to take the waste.
Figure 1: Josan Tielen, project manager of Room for the River project, source: Rijkswaterstaat
Figure 2: flood proof area in Paris, source: Rijkswaterstaat
The efficient allocation of traffic and electricity networks is crucial for establishing flood resilient cities. This was the conclusion that Liesbeth van Riet Paap and Jean-Marie Stam reached after participating in the FRC-symposium on flood resilience in Paris. The symposium took place on the 3rd and 4th November and was led by the French partner of the FloodResilienCity-project (FRC) École des ingenieurs de la Ville de Paris (EIVP). Room for the River is the lead partner in the FRC-project and, as a result, project manager Josan Tielen provided a general presentation about the Room for the River approach.
It turned out that the Paris School of Engineers had chosen a very ‘hot topic’ for the symposium; in the same week there were floods in both Bangkok and Dublin, the south of France where the river Var overflowed and the Italian city Genoa where the river Bisagno flooded. The symposium examined the subject of flood resilience within cities from a range of perspectives. The first day’s focus lay on the idea of resilience throughout history. Readings reflected upon archaeological analyses of disasters in cities (such as Pompeï), historical disaster evidence and the archaeology of the future. A Rotterdam-based company also presented its concept of floating cities.
On the second day the same issue was considered from a spatial perspective. The approach of the German FRC-Partner Stadtwerke Mainz AG, which is currently reconstructing the harbour district, was particularly interesting. Road markings have been applied for emergency services; inhabitants are warned of flood risks well in advance by the city council and passages between buildings have been constructed to enable individuals to move from one side of the building to the other. New Orleans’ recovery after hurricane Katrina was also discussed; over the last two years many inhabitants have been able to return to their normal lives once again. Josan Tielen then presented the Room for the River approach. One of the sessions reflected upon the effects of flooding on services and networks, such as traffic and electricity networks, water supplies and sewerage systems. An example was provided to illustrate the point: after the flooding in the Vendée in the west of France as a result of hurricane Xyntia in 2010, the amount of litter which required disposal was equivalent to seven years of normal household waste. Waste disposal centres usually struggle to cope with this type of increase but the region was able to manage due to a number of waste disposal centres from outside the area being contracted to take the waste.Figure 1: Josan Tielen, project manager of Room for the River project, source: Rijkswaterstaat
Figure 2: flood proof area in Paris, source: Rijkswaterstaat
