APPENDIX 4B: SPATIAL PLANNING AND CLIMATE CHANGE ADAPTATION IN THE NETHERLANDS
How does spatial planning legislation, policy and guidance
currently contribute to climate change adaptation?
Water availability and development
How does/could spatial planning address
areas which may be subject to water
shortages as a result of climate change
when making decisions in relation to
development and land use?
National
level:
The national Government has only recently acknowledged the significance
of problems regarding water shortages. The government has therefore
commissioned research on the effects of shortages and possible
measures. These dryness studies are still in a very early stage and not
much is known about measures that could be taken and the role spatial
planning can play yet. The water shortage problem is however partly
addressed by the national government’s three-step strategy for dealing
with water abundance, which is laid down in the policy plan “Water Policy
in the 21st century”. The central premise of which is to retain water in
‘higher’ areas to limit flood risk in ‘lower’ areas. This can help to alleviate
water shortages in higher areas, especially in dry periods. Spatial planning
can play an important role in two ways: first by reserving room for
storage areas, second by ensuring parts of urban areas are not built upon
in order to allow natural infiltration. The plans and guidelines that have
been laid down in the policy plan “Water Policy in the 21st century” are
made concrete in the National Administrative Agreement on Water.
What changes to legislation, policy and guidance
could ESPACE recommend to improve adaptation
to climate change?
It seems that problems concerning water shortages
play a smaller role in the Netherlands then problems
concerning water abundance. There are some policies
that aim at measures to prevent water shortages
from occurring, but as the water shortage problem is
one that has occurred less during the last couple of
years than problems concerning water abundance it
gets less and in most cases more indirect than direct
attention i.e. because more room is reserved for
water in periods of increased or extreme
precipitation, water can be stored in an area longer
resulting in a better distribution of water and as a
side effect leading to a higher availability of water in
areas which in dryer periods would be the first ones
to have a water shortage (e.g. because the areas are
higher/elevated).
Actions should therefore be undertaken to let water
shortages play a more important role in the Water
policy of the 21st century, the Fourth National Water
plan and especially Space for the River – plan and the
National Spatial Plan which are being set up at this
moment.
How does spatial planning legislation, policy and guidance
currently contribute to climate change adaptation?
What changes to legislation, policy and guidance
could ESPACE recommend to improve adaptation
to climate change?
In this agreement the national government, provinces, water boards and
municipalities have stated that they share the responsibility for the way in
which the Water policy in the 21st century is elaborated and commit
themselves to making concrete agreements with the parties involved for
repairing and preserving the water system. The “Fourth National Water
Plan” also plays a role, as it states that water conservation is very
important to make sure that water shortages, that result from climate
change (increased dryness), are prevented or diminished. The Water Plan
focuses on integral water management and sees a specific role for spatial
planning in reserving space for retention and inundation areas and
reserving room for the widening of rivers and streams, all this to make it
easier to hold water in one spot longer. The Water Plan forms the
framework for plans at the local level, in which the statements are further
elaborated on. Even though it is not yet known what the exact contents
of the new “National Spatial Plan” will be, as it is being set up at this
moment, it can be expected that the Plan will point out areas for storage
of water in case of extreme precipitation, so that it can be used in periods
with less precipitation. As with the Water Plan, the statements set out in
the National Spatial plan will be further elaborated on, on the provincial
and municipal level.
Water supply infrastructure
How does/could spatial planning consider
new water infrastructure (e.g. reservoirs,
water transfer pipelines) where water
shortages are likely to occur as a result
of climate change?
National
level:
As above.
As above.
How does spatial planning legislation, policy and guidance
currently contribute to climate change adaptation?
Flood risk from rivers
How does/could spatial planning take
account of increased river flood risk
associated with climate change when
making decisions in relation to
development and land use?
National
level:
Until recently the national government focussed on infrastructure
responses to flood risk e.g. heightening dikes. Recently policy
focus has changed and water is managed in a more natural and
flexible way. In order to implement the policies set out at the
national level the national government sets up deals and makes
agreements with municipalities, water boards and provinces to
make provision in their spatial plans for water storage. Some
areas are appointed for regular storage, others are appointed for
emergency storage. Most agreements also aim at a high spatial
quality of these storage areas (by developing them as natural
areas) and safety of the functions that are situated in the specific
areas. There are several plans that form the base of the
agreements and measures. First of all the agreements are based
on the “Fourth National Water Plan” and the “Water Policy in the
21st century”, which is elaborated in “the National Administrative
Agreement on Water”.
Another important plan is the Great Rivers Delta plan: a policy
plan specifically aimed at heightening the dikes along the coast and
rivers. After the implementation of the actions mentioned in this
plan it turned out that more action was needed. This resulted in
the development of the policy plan “Space for the River” (Ruimte
voor de Rivier). The Space for the River plan forms the base of
agreements between the National government, provinces and
water boards. The Space for the River plan holds a numerous
number of measures, concerning e.g. removing obstacles to
improve the flow of the river, looking for retention areas, digging
new rivers alongside existing ones, heightening dikes and widening
summer beds.
What changes to legislation, policy and guidance
could ESPACE recommend to improve adaptation
to climate change?
Even though a lot of policies have been set up, it
seems that concrete actions are mainly incidental:
when water problems do not occur for a certain
amount of time, both political and public attention for
the water problem seems to weaken. In these periods
developments alongside rivers and in lower areas
(land below sea level) are increasing.
Next tot that it is also quite hard to match the long
term vision and primarily social importance of
protection and water management with the short
term vision and economical importance of developing
housing, commercial and industrial and recreational
buildings.
Finally the fact that a lot of governments and actors
are involved is positive in a way, but also results in
long procedures before a plan is agreed upon and can
be elaborated.
Actions should aim at stressing that long term are not
something for the long term, but should be initialized
at this moment in order to be effective when the real
problem does occur.
How does spatial planning legislation, policy and guidance
currently contribute to climate change adaptation?
Specifically for the Rhine and Maas rivers the Ministry of
Transport, Public Works, and Water Management has set up the
“Disaster management strategy for the flooding of the Rhine and
Maas” integrating three strategies concerning disaster
management: being prepared for flooding, increasing safety norms
and balancing costs and benefits. The Management strategy is
mainly concerned with a further elaboration of the strategies in
the new “National Spatial Plan” and stimulates research on e.g.
designing emergency storage areas, compartmenting streams and
increased safety norms. The Strategy also initiates the
development of a law regarding emergency storage areas. The law
(which is still part of discussion but is expected to be agreed upon
in 2006 – as yet it does not have a title) will set out the
responsibilities of the government, preventive disaster
management, the circumstances under which areas can be used as
emergency storage areas and rules regarding the compensation of
damage as a result of use as emergency storage area.
“The National Spatial Plan” that will shortly be approved will point
out areas that will be preserved for emergency storage areas.
When the new spatial plan is implemented major developments in
these areas will be prohibited.
As has been said before the National policies are not legal
obligations but do have a strong directive character and because
the plans from “lower” governments need to be approved by the
“higher” governments the guidelines are almost always followed.
In most cases the plans are also used as a base for agreements
between the national government and provinces, water boards or
municipalities.
What changes to legislation, policy and guidance
could ESPACE recommend to improve adaptation
to climate change?
How does spatial planning legislation, policy and guidance
currently contribute to climate change adaptation?
Coastal planning
How does/could spatial planning address
risks associated with sea level rise,
coastal flooding, increased storminess,
coastal ecosystems, etc. when making
decisions in relation to development and
land use?
National
level:
The most important documents with regards to coastal planning
are: the “Third National Coastal Policy plan” (which forms the
policy framework for the coastal provinces and municipalities) and
the “Policy Agenda for the Coast” ( a further elaboration of the
Third Coastal Plan). As a result of the Policy Agenda several
studies are being conducted on the possibilities to strengthen
“weak links” on the coast line: spots on the coast line in which the
level of safety regarding people, agriculture and ecosystems is very
low. The most important weak links are the areas ZeeuwsVlaanderen, the area around Hook of Holland (Westland) and the
area around Den Helder.
The provinces along the coasts play a big role in conducting the
studies: the Coastal Vision Zeeland and the strategic vision Dutch
Coast 2050 which have been set up by respectively the province
of Zeeland and the Provinces Noord-Holland and Zuid-holland
form the base of the studies. In the studies spatial planning plays an
important role for example by reserving space for higher and
wider dams in the form of wide dunes without buildings.
Next to that the government is very careful about building
activities in coastal areas. The new “National Spatial Plan” will
relate to this by preventing new building activities in specific areas
along the coast. The new national plan will also point out specific
emergency storage areas along the coast. The protected areas and
storage areas that have been pointed out in the National Plan will
have to be integrated into provincial and governmental plans and
are therefore obligations.
What changes to legislation, policy and guidance
could ESPACE recommend to improve adaptation
to climate change?
See comments on flood risks from rivers.
How does spatial planning legislation, policy and guidance
currently contribute to climate change adaptation?
Building design and the built
environment
How does/could spatial planning address
subsidence, ventilation, storm resilience,
water efficiency in building design/the
built environment?
National
level:
With regards to building and reconstruction of the built
environment, the National Government has set up a Buildings
Decree (Bouwbesluit), which is updated regularly (last update
2003) and has the same importance as a law. The Buildings Decree
consists of technical construction regulations a building has to
meet. These building regulations focus on safety, health, energy
efficiency and the environment. Examples are required protection
against intrusion of water from outside the building, protection of
building against forces like wind and ventilation.
It must be emphasized that the Buildings Decree has not been set
up specifically to make buildings cope with climate change effects
better. The main aim of the Decree is to make sure that everyone
has a proper and safe home to live in.
The National Government also promotes “sustainable building”
(“duurzaam bouwen”) to improve the quality of life of current and
future generations. Goals regarding sustainable building have been
laid down in the Policy program Sustainable Building and the
Buildings Decree 2003. The Policy program offers guidelines for
sustainable building in general for governments at lower levels.
The Buildings Decree mainly focuses on rules on the energy
efficiency of buildings. With regards to adaptation the Policy
program is most important. Water management in buildings and
neighborhoods and the quality of the environment inside buildings
are important themes in sustainable building. Sustainable building is
not obligatory and is totally voluntarily.
What changes to legislation, policy and guidance
could ESPACE recommend to improve adaptation
to climate change?
Even though the Buildings Decree holds a lot of rules
that help to protect the built environment with
regards to climate change, some effects of climate
change are not covered. For example cooling
systems, storm resilience and subsidence.
The national government is also lacking in providing
information to “lower” governments, companies and
civilians on how they can build buildings in a way that
is “waterproof”.
How does spatial planning legislation, policy and guidance
currently contribute to climate change adaptation?
To help municipalities, companies and civilians to build in a
sustainable way, the government has set up measurement
packages for housing, commercial and industrial buildings, urban
development and development of ground, roads or waterways:
National Measure Package Sustainable Building Commercial and
Industrial Buildings, National Measure Package Sustainable Building
Ground-, Road- and Water building, National Measure Package
Sustainable Building Housing, National Measure Package
Sustainable Development.
Finally, the national government has also introduced the
“watertest” or “watertoets”. This test has been incorporated into
the Spatial Planning Act and is therefore mandatory. Via the
watertest the role of water in the planning process has become
more pronounced: the aim of the watertest is to prevent negative
effects of urbanization and asphalted areas (like water abundance
in times of extreme precipitation and the fact that they form
obstacles in the distribution of water to or between natural areas)
and make use of chances the water system is offering for
urbanization and building housing. The watertest is not specifically
aiming at adapting to climate change effects, but more on the
water problem in general, but does have some indirect influence.
What changes to legislation, policy and guidance
could ESPACE recommend to improve adaptation
to climate change?
How does spatial planning legislation, policy and guidance
currently contribute to climate change adaptation?
Biodiversity and designated sites
How does/could spatial planning address
the need to allow migration of habitats
and species e.g. forests?
How does/could spatial planning address
the protection of EC designated habitats
and species, which may be affected by
climate change e.g. coastal wetlands?
National
level:
As a reaction to the Nature balance 2003 (a study on all aspects
of nature in the Netherlands which is conducted each year by
the RIVM), in which the relation between nature and climate
played an important role, the national government has redirected
policies from the protection of specific animal and vegetation
species to corridors and stepping stones. The National
Government realised that in view of climate change it is more
interesting to look at the mobility of species so that they can
move along with the climate zones instead of just looking at
certain species, while these species might grow extinct in the
Netherlands due to climate change.
With regards to the corridors and steppingstones the National
government focuses on the Ecological Main Structure (de
ecologische hoofdstructuur) and robust connections (robuuste
verbindingen). The Ecological Main Structure is a coherent
network of existing and still to be developed important natural
areas in the Netherlands (existing of core areas, nature
development areas and connection zones).
The robust connections aim at a combination of enlargement and
connection of ecosystems (possibilities of nature development and
room for water are used in an optimal way). The Ecological Main
Structure was already introduced in the Naturepolicyplan
(Natuurbeleidsplan) (1990) which has been incorporated in the
existing national spatial plan, the Fourth Plan for the Spatial
Development, and set out the framework regarding protection
and development of nature for spatial plans at lower levels.
However a further elaboration of the concept was and still is
needed. Therefore there are still a lot of studies being conducted
on the exact content of the Ecological Main Structure. The robust
connections were first mentioned in the new Nature plan “Nature
What changes to legislation, policy and guidance
could ESPACE recommend to improve adaptation
to climate change?
The Nature balance 2003 has showed that reserving
space for the ecological main corridor is lacking and
the spatial coherence is not sufficient to meet
biodiversity goals.
Especially the creation of large units of nature, the
integration of these units to a large coherent
network, the combination with the water system and
the international important wet nature still need a lot
of attention with regards to the ecological main
corridor.
This is mainly due to the fact that the Ministries of
Agriculture, Nature and Food Quality, of Transport,
Public Works and Water Management and of
Housing, Spatial Planning and the Environment are
primarily looking at their own competences; insight
into other policy fields is often missing with regards
tot the development of natural areas and corridors.
Because the Ministries of Transport, Public Works
and Water Management and of Housing, Spatial
Planning and the Environment think other stakes (like
safety, transportation, housing) are more important
(usually due to the more economic stakes involved),
the pace of realization of projects regarding the
reservation of space for the Main Structure or
connections is slow.
How does spatial planning legislation, policy and guidance
currently contribute to climate change adaptation?
for people, people for nature”. Further elaboration is also needed
in this regard. According to the National government, spatial
planning can play a big role in creating new habitats that can offer
room for “authentic” sorts of vegetation and animals and “new”
sorts of vegetation and animals. Also spatial planners can play a big
role in reserving room for and developing Ecological Main
Structure and making way for the connections.
What changes to legislation, policy and guidance
could ESPACE recommend to improve adaptation
to climate change?
The importance given to nature in spatial planning
always depends on the political flavor of the present
government and the economic situation. The current
situation is one in which money is mainly spend on
subsidies for farmers and other landowners to
develop the Ecological Main Structure. By making the
farmers and other land owners responsible, the
government has less control over the exact contents
of the Main Structure.
How does spatial planning legislation, policy and guidance
currently contribute to climate change adaptation?
Cultural heritage
How does/could spatial planning take into
account the impacts of climate change on
historical and archaeological features at
risk of coastal or river flooding,
subsidence, storm damage etc?
National
level:
The national government believes that although safety is very
important it must not lead to a destruction of the cultural and
natural values of the river landscape. Therefore dikes and dams
need to be constructed in a way that relates to the specific
character of the landscape. Next to that information from the past
is also used to solve problems regarding flood risks for example by
reconstructing rivers from straight to meandering streams and by
building houses and buildings on “terps” or “mounds” to protect
them from flooding and creating more space for storage. In this
way cultural heritage is brought back and/or strengthened.
Important documents in this regard are the “The Great Rivers
Deltaplan” (which mainly set out the goals for the national
Ministry of Transport, Public Works and Water Management
regarding the heightening and strengthening of dikes along the
main rivers, as they are responsible for the dikes and dams) and
the cultural heritage policy plan “Belvedere” (which provides a
policy framework regarding cultural heritage, which has to be
elaborated at the lower government levels). The policies
integrated in both the Great Rivers Deltaplan and the Belvedere
plan, which have been set out above, do specifically aim at dealing
with climate change effects. An exception in this regard forms the
project Dutch Waterline (Hollandse waterlinie) that has been
integrated in the Belvedere plan. Although this project mainly has
been set up to protect landscapes (surrounding the Dutch
Waterline) instead of specifically dealing with climate change
effects, it does provide interesting information as it aims at finding
areas with a historic retention function, that could serve as water
storage areas again.
What changes to legislation, policy and guidance
could ESPACE recommend to improve adaptation
to climate change?
The national government mainly focuses on cultural
heritage that might be damaged by flooding. Impacts
on cultural heritage caused by subsidence, rising
temperatures or storm damage gets much less
attention. This could be improved by for example the
new National Spatial Plan and the new Culture
Policyplan.
How does spatial planning legislation, policy and guidance
currently contribute to climate change adaptation?
Agricultural and forestry land use
How does/could spatial planning address
agricultural and forestry land use issues
which may be impacted upon by climate
change e.g. soil moisture availability,
increased water demand for irrigation,
water quality (pollution) from agricultural
activities?
National
level:
With regards to agriculture, spatial planning can play a role in
improving the storage capacity of land for water. The government
thinks that storing water is important because it does not only
result in less water problems in lower parts of the Netherlands it
also results in less water shortages in higher areas, especially in
dry periods. The water can then be used for watering crops and
result in higher soil moisture availability. Spatial planning can play
an important role in two ways: first by reserving room for storage
areas (mostly surface water), second by taking into account
enough non-build space in planning areas in order for water to be
able to infiltrate into the ground. With regards to the quality of
water, rising sea levels might cause salt water to move further
inland and cause damage to crops. Spatial planning activities in
coastal zones can help protect agricultural land and crops from
being “contaminated” with salt water.
The most important documents in this regard are the “Water
Policy in the 21st century” and the agreements that have been
made in that regard and have been incorporated in the National
Administrative Agreement on Water. The “Fourth National
Water Plan” and the “Nature for people, people for nature” plan
(which form the policy framework for all the provinces and
municipalities) are also important as they state that water
conservation is very significant to make sure that water shortages,
that result from climate change (increased dryness), are prevented
or diminished. The “Third National Coastal Policy plan” (which
forms the policy framework for the coastal provinces and
municipalities) and the “Policy Agenda for the Coast” also play
important roles when it comes to agriculture along the coast.
These policy plans aim at protecting the coastal regions and the
functions in these regions from flooding, especially regarding the
weak links.
Both the Environmental Balance 2003 (a study on all aspects of the
environment in the Netherlands which is conducted each year by
the RIVM) and the Nature balance 2003 have pointed out that
spatial planning can play an important role in relocating forest
areas. At some locations forests are a source of resistance for
streams of water, which might result in a push up of water. These
forests are better located in areas where the stream of water is
What changes to legislation, policy and guidance
could ESPACE recommend to improve adaptation
to climate change?
Policies on how spatial planning can deal with the
effect of rising temperatures on agriculture and
forestry do not exist.
There is some research being done on how farmers
can adapt there crops or ways of production to adapt
to climate change effects. However this research is
led by the agricultural sector, spatial planning plays a
minor role.
The effects of extreme dryness are also still being
researched (also see above information on the
dryness studies). It is not yet clear what the results of
these studies are and what (new) role spatial planning
might play.
Finally, no policies exist yet that aim specifically at the
role spatial planning can play with regards to forestry
and climate change effects. The new “National Spatial
Plan”, might go into this subject, but there still
remains a lot of uncertainty about that.
How does spatial planning legislation, policy and guidance
currently contribute to climate change adaptation?
Both the Environmental Balance 2003 (a study on all aspects of the
environment in the Netherlands which is conducted each year by
the RIVM) and the Nature balance 2003 have pointed out that
spatial planning can play an important role in relocating forest
areas. At some locations forests are a source of resistance for
streams of water, which might result in a push up of water. These
forests are better located in areas where the stream of water is
less strong/important. At this moment the Ministry of Agriculture,
Nature and Food Quality is conducting research on a combination
between mitigation and adaptation regarding forests. An example
is the cultivation of Mangrove forests: by planting these forests
along the coast they can, on the one hand, prevent desertification
and protect the coast from storms and increased sea levels and on
the other hand play a role in fixing carbon.
With regards to agriculture there is some research being done on
how farmers can change there crops or ways of production to
adapt to climate change effects. However this research is led by
the agricultural sector, spatial planning plays a minor role.
What changes to legislation, policy and guidance
could ESPACE recommend to improve adaptation
to climate change?
How does spatial planning legislation, policy and guidance
currently contribute to climate change adaptation?
Tourism
How does/could spatial planning take into
account increased demand for outdoor
leisure and tourism activities?
National
level:
There are no specific policies regarding the role spatial planning
can play in adapting tourism to the impacts of climate change This
is mainly due to the opinion of the National government that the
effects of climate change will not be extreme in the Netherlands.
Tourism may grow, but it is expected that the growth will take
place in a slow and easy to control manner, which requires only
small adjustments.
However, increased tourism as a result of climate change is being
accommodated in a more indirect way. The reservation of space
for the storage of water, usually means either creating areas of
surface water or natural areas that in case of extreme
precipitation can be used for storage. These areas can also play a
big role for tourism and recreation. The National government
aims their spatial planning policy at the combinations of or
multiple uses of space. Important document In this regard is the
“Nature for people, people for Nature”, which aims at combining
nature and water functions with recreation and tourism as much
as possible. The new “National Spatial Plan” will probably also aim
at multiple use of space.
What changes to legislation, policy and guidance
could ESPACE recommend to improve adaptation
to climate change?
More research might be done on the exact effects of
especially rising temperatures on tourism. As it is
better to be prepared for a fast growth, than to
presume that a small growth will take place and then
be surprised by extreme changes.
How does spatial planning legislation, policy and guidance
currently contribute to climate change adaptation?
Road and rail infrastructure
How does/could spatial planning address
the routing and design of infrastructure
in response to climate change related
risks, and the use of climate change
resistant materials used in construction?
National
level:
Dutch policies regarding infrastructure and the effects of climate
change mainly focus on how infrastructure can be protected in
case of flooding. A lot of infrastructure is situated at dikes and
dams, because of rising water levels, due to climate change, the
national government aims at heightening the dikes in especially the
Rhine-Maas area. This intention is specifically laid down in both the
“The Great Rivers Deltaplan”, the “Fourth National Water Plan”
and the “Disaster management strategy for the flooding of the
Rhine and Maas”.
With regard to the areas reserved for water storage the national
government has and still is setting up agreements with
municipalities, water boards and provinces to ensure safety of the
infrastructure that is situated in the specific areas.
These agreements are based on the “Water Policy in the 21 st
century” and are laid down in the “the National Administrative
Agreement on Water”. The agreements also follow form the
policy plan “Space for the River” (Ruimte voor de Rivier), which is
an elaboration of the “Water Policy in the 21st century”. Via the
“Fourth National Water Plan” the National government is also
advising local governments to develop local water plans aiming at a
more efficient use of water and a better tuning with other stakes
(like spatial planning, quality of life and ecology).
What changes to legislation, policy and guidance
could ESPACE recommend to improve adaptation
to climate change?
Attention with regards to infrastructure now mainly
focuses on climate change effects and safety.
Subsidence is only getting general attention, due to
more attention for rising or declining levels of
groundwater and the risk of subsidence.
The National government is paying little attention to
effects on infrastructure of increased wind speed and
higher temperatures.
How does spatial planning legislation, policy and guidance
currently contribute to climate change adaptation?
Energy infrastructure e.g. power
stations and energy supply lines, energy
crops
How does/could spatial planning take
account of subsidence, flood risk, and
water availability in locating new energy
facilities/energy distribution
systems/energy crops?
National
level:
Finally, the national government has also introduced the
“watertest” or “watertoets”. This test has been incorporated into
the Spatial Planning Act and is therefore mandatory. Via the
watertest the role of water in the planning process has become
more pronounced: the aim of the watertest is to prevent negative
effects of asphalted areas (like water abundance in times of
extreme precipitation and the fact that they form obstacles in the
water distribution to or between natural areas) and make use of
chances the water system is offering for urbanization.
The watertest is not specifically aiming at adapting to climate
change effects, but more on the water problem in general, but
does have some indirect influence.
The national government is mainly paying attention to flood risk in
relation to the location of new energy facilities/distribution
systems or crops. In this regard in general the same plans are
important as with regard to flood risk from rivers and damage it
might do to surrounding functions.
What changes to legislation, policy and guidance
could ESPACE recommend to improve adaptation
to climate change?
No specific policies exist with regards to climate
change effects on energy infrastructure besides the
more general policies on dealing with flood risk and
subsidence (due to more attention for rising or
declining levels of groundwater).
Even though municipalities try to find out, via the
watertest, what role the water ystem can play for the
new energy infrastructure, it never really focuses on
the role of cooling water in periods of rising
temperatures.
How does spatial planning legislation, policy and guidance
currently contribute to climate change adaptation?
Economic activity and development
How does/could spatial planning take a
holistic approach to increasing the
resilience of the economy to deal with
impacts of climate change e.g. reducing
reliance on transport/movements of
goods, which might be disrupted by flood
risk, etc?
National
level:
Not much is known about how spatial planning plays a role in
increasing the resilience of the economy with regards to climate
change in a direct way. In a more indirect way, spatial planning
plays a big role in making sure that infrastructure, buildings, energy
depots etc. are protected from floods (also see the text on flood
risk management) by paying attention to the situation of these
functions with regards to areas that have an increased risk of
flooding, dike development and water storage areas . By
protecting infrastructure, housing etc. the economic world is
damaged as little as possible.
What changes to legislation, policy and guidance
could ESPACE recommend to improve adaptation
to climate change?
It could be possible to divert transportation of goods
away from “risk” areas. However the question is,
how realistic is all this? For example the main risk
zones are the zones surrounding the Rhine and Maas.
The Rhine and Maas zones run across the country
and are hard to avoid when transporting goods.
What are the key strengths in terms of how spatial planning currently contributes to adaptation?
(e.g. coverage of topics, mandatory legal or policy requirements to undertake adaptation)
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Adaptation in general is getting more and more attention and so is the role spatial planning can play. Especially with regard to dealing with flood risk and providing
corridors for flora and fauna the role spatial planning can play has been made very clear
Next to just the chance a certain risk might occur, governments are also paying attention to effects of the risks and therefore to spatial conditions
Via the instrument of the Watertest, water is getting more and more important in finding locations or developing sights
Because governments at the local and regional level are involved in a strong way, it is easier to integrate specific local or regional spatial aspects into the plans
concerning climate change effects, that originally come from sectors like water, agriculture or nature
What are the key weaknesses in terms of how spatial planning currently contributes to adaptation?
(e.g. coverage of topics, information base and lack of understanding, lack of mandatory legal or policy requirements to undertake)
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Especially with regards to nature, forestry and agriculture a lot of studies are being conducted on climate change effects, but not much has resulted in agreed
upon policies yet
Most policies and measures are not obliged or mandatory, but are guidelines and need to be filled in by local governments, even though this leaves room for a
“tailored” regional or local elaboration, it also means that there is less control on the exact quality of the elaboration
Even though the Buildings Decree holds a lot of rules that help to protect the built environment with regards to climate change, some effects of climate change
are not covered. For example cooling systems, storm resilience and subsidence.
The national government is also lacking in providing information to “lower” governments, companies and civilians on how they can build buildings in a way that is
“waterproof”.
Pace of realization of ecological corridors is low, because depending on the political tenure and the economical situation, priority is mostly given to function and
themes that have higher social or economic stakes, like safety, building housing and/or industrial and commercial buildings and building roads.
Most attention goes out to spatial planning and climate change impacts related to floods, much less attention goes out to impacts related to temperature, wind
and subsidence/erosion (especially with regards to the built environment, cultural heritage, tourism, road/rail infrastructure and energy infrastructure
Most of the actions are purely driven by incidental actions: when flooding takes place policies strongly aim at protecting against high water, when flooding does
not take place attention weakens and governments become “lazy” in developing policies and measures
Does activity on adaptation in spatial planning vary across the country, especially if decisions are devolved to the regional level? if so, which regions perform
well/less well – why? (e.g. coastal areas versus non-coastal/urban versus rural)
As has been stated above, most policies and measures are not obliged or mandatory, but are guidelines and need to be filled in by local governments. This means that
plans at the local or regional level are never the same, this of course is also due to the fact that municipalities that are located near the Rhine and Maas rivers meet
other problems than municipalities that are situated in or around a National Park, like the National Park Veluwe (Province of Gelderland) or along the coast.
Not much information is available about the exact performance of the different municipalities, water boards or provinces. However, it is known that the provinces of
Noord-Holland, Zuid-Holland and Zeeland are quite far in developing measures for dealing with the effects of climate change on the coast line.
Especially with regard to the main infrastructure and the dikes and dams along the main rivers it must be noted that these are the main responsibility of the national
government (Rijkswaterstaat, which is part of the Ministry of Transport, Public Works and Water Management) and therefore adaptation regarding these aspects are
the same across the country.
Key legislation/policy/guidance
Laws/decrees
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Buildings Decree 2003 (Bouwbesluit 2003) (NL + EN)
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Law on Dikes and Dams 1996 (Wet op de waterkering) (NL)
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Spatial Planning Act 2003 (Wet op de Ruimtelijke Ordening) (NL)
Policies
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National government, provinces, Co-operative Interprovincial Conference (Samenwerkingsverband Interprovinciaal
Overleg), the Union of Dutch Municipalities (VNG) and the Union of Water Boards (2003), the National Administrative
Agreement on Water
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Netherlands Ministry of Agriculture, Nature and Food quality (2000), National Nature Policy plan, Nature for People,
People for Nature (NL + EN)
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Netherlands Ministry of Education, Culture and Science, Netherlands Ministry of Transport, Public Works and Water
Management, Netherlands Ministry on Housing, Spatial Planning and Environment and Netherlands Ministry on Agriculture,
Nature and Food quality (1999), Cultural heritage policy plan Belvedere (NL)
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Netherlands Ministry on Housing, Spatial Planning and Environment (draft), National Spatial Plan
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Netherlands Ministry of Transport, Public Works and Water Management (1996), The Great Rivers Delta plan (NL + EN)
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Netherlands Ministry of Transport, Public Works and Water Management (1998), Fourth National Water Plan 1998-2006
(NL + EN)
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Netherlands Ministry of Transport, Public Works and Water Management (2000), A different approach to water, Water
Management Policy in the 21st century (NL + EN)
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Netherlands Ministry of Transport, Public Works and Water Management (2000), Third National Coastal Policy plan (NL
+ EN)
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Netherlands Ministry of Transport, Public Works and Water Management (2002), Policy Agenda for the Coast (NL)
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Netherlands Ministry of Transport, Public Works and Water Management (2003), The Disaster Management Strategy for
the Flooding of the Rhine and Maas (NL + EN)
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Netherlands Ministry of Transport, Public Works and Water Management, Netherlands Ministry on Housing, Spatial
Planning and Environment and Netherlands Ministry on Agriculture, Nature and Food quality (draft policy plan), Space for
the River (NL)
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Provinces of North- and South-Holland (2002), “Vision on the Dutch coast 2050” (NL)
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Province of Zeeland (draft), Zeeuws Coastal Policy plan (NL)
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RIVM (2003), Environmental Balance 2003 (NL + EN)
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RIVM (2003), Nature balance (NL + EN)
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Stichting Bouwresearch (2003), National Measure package Sustainable Building Commercial and Industrial Buildings (2003))
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Stichting Bouwresearch (2003), National Measure package Sustainable Building Ground-, Road- and Waterbuilding
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Stichting Bouwresearch (2003), National Measure package Sustainable Building Housing
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Stichting Bouwresearch (2003), National Measurepackage Sustainable Development
Interviews
Mr. F.P. Hallie, Ministry of Transport, Public Works and Water Management, April 13th 2004
Mr. H.Haanstra and mr. B. Clabbers, Ministry of Agriculture, Nature and Food Quality, April 13th 2004
END
Table 2: Overview/priorities
What is the Government (at any level e.g. national, regional etc) currently doing to improve the way spatial planning addresses climate change
adaptation? E.g. is national/regional Government seeking to introduce legislative requirements, preparing guidance, etc?
Improvements planned to legislation
In relation to the Disaster Management Strategy for the Rhine and Maas the national government has initiated
the development of a law regarding emergency storage areas. The law will set out the responsibilities of de
different governments, the preventive disaster management, the circumstances under which areas can be used
as emergency storage areas and rules regarding the compensation of damage as a result of use as emergency
storage area. The law is still part of political discussion, but is expected to be agreed upon in 2006. No name
has been attached to the law yet.
Improvements planned to policy
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Improvements planned to guidance
the most important review that is taking place right now is the review of the Fourth Policy plan for Spatial
Planning, resulting in a new policy plan called the “National Spatial Plan” . The new plan will probably be
decreed by the National government this April or May. The new National Spatial Plan combines land use,
environment, economic perspectives, traffic and agriculture (only those aspects of traffic and agriculture
that relate to spatial planning) and will integrate aspects that come from the “Space for the River” plan and
the goals regarding ecological corridors. More importantly the new “Spatial plan” will also appoint areas for
emergency storage and will prevent building activities from taking place that can not be made undone.
At this moment research is being done on dryness. The national government, provinces and water boards
are conducting this research together. The study will give information how to cope with dryness either by
introducing measures or by accepting damage. The main aim is to develop goals for the water policy and to
develop a policy strategy on how damage can be prevented.
Next to that it is expected that the national research program “Climate for Space, Space for climate” will
result in a broad knowledge-infrastructure regarding all aspects of climate and climate change. It is to be
expected that research done in relation to this program will give government new insight into the matter,
which will result in new policies or improvements/adjustments of policy.
The national government does not conduct any other guidance activities than those enclosed in the different
policy plans. There is no organisation, like the NOVEM or DuBo-centre with regards to mitigation, that plays
an important role in guiding provinces, municipalities or water boards in trying to adapt to climate change.
Recently a campaign has been started to inform civilians about climate change effects on the water system and
the effects of high water. This campaign is called “The Netherlands lives with water” (Nederland left met
water).
Which Government ministries/departments/agencies should ESPACE be seeking to influence and why?
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First of all the Netherlands Ministry of Housing, Spatial Planning and the Environment, because this Ministry is mainly responsible for setting up spatial
planning policies and guidelines. Next to that they play a big role in advising other ministries on adaptation measures and relations with spatial planning.
Next to that the Netherlands Ministry of Transport, Public Works and Water Management, the Netherlands Ministry of Agriculture, Nature and Food
Quality, the Netherlands Ministry of Economic Affairs and the Netherlands Ministry of Education, Culture and Science are important to influence. This is
because adaptation policies are divided among the ministries. Each ministry aims at its own subject area. The Ministry of Transport, Public Works and
Water Management is responsible for adaptation measures regarding road and water infrastructure, the Ministry of Agriculture, Nature and Food Quality
is responsible for adaptation measures regarding nature and agriculture (e.g. the ecological main corridor). The Ministry of Economic Affairs is responsible
for adaptation measures regarding energy infrastructure. The Ministry of Education, Culture and Science is an important actor in promoting the protection
of cultural heritage.
Are there any Government programmes/policy reviews which ESPACE could use to promote adaptation to climate change in spatial planning?
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At this moment the National Spatial Plan is being set up, which will probably be decreed by the National government this April or May. The new National
Spatial Plan combines land use, environment, economic perspectives, traffic and agriculture (only those aspects of traffic and agriculture that relate to
spatial planning). Because this plan forms the framework for spatial planning in the Netherlands, it could be interesting for ESPACE to be involved.
The Ministry of Education, Culture and Science is currently developing a new Cultural Policy Plan, in which policies will be combined regarding
monuments, archeology, architecture and design and the way they should be protected from or can play a role in adapting to economic and environmental
changes. The exact relation to climate change effects is not yet clear. ESPACE could play a role in giving examples on the exact role cultural heritage can
play in adapting to climate change effects.
Next to that the BSIK-program might be interesting for ESPACE to promote adaptation. This program aims at strengthening the Dutch knowledge
economy en tries to stimulate projects in which the corporate world and scientific institutions cooperate. One of the projects is the project called
“Climate for Space, Space for Climate” that aims at strengthening the knowledge infrastructure between climate-experts and spatial planning experts. The
program concentrates for example on effects of rising water levels in the Rhine-delta due to increased precipitation, problems occurring in sewage
systems due to increased precipitation, impacts on use of solar energy of increased cloudiness and the effect on tourism and coastal buildings from
increased North sea winds.
Finally, there used to exist a Dutch National Research Program on Global Air Pollution and Climate Change (NRP). This however has been terminated.
There will be a next climate change program in The Netherlands. This program still needs further elaboration. ESPACE could play a big role in this regard
as well.
From the recommendations set out above on how ESPACE should seek to influence spatial planning, which actions should they prioritise (based on the
most significant climate change impacts and the easiest aspects to influence)?
Please list out 5 priorities for action, clearly explaining why they are a priority:
1. Getting involved with the new National Spatial Plan (on very short term)
2. Getting involved in the dryness study, making sure all aspects of spatial planning and all possible effects have been accounted for
3. Getting involved in the BSIK-program, making sure that more attention goes out to possible effects of increase in temperature, increase in storm
activities, cloudiness and subsidence on especially infrastructure, cultural heritage, tourism and the built environment
4. Helping to better connect policies regarding nature and ecology with policies regarding water and spatial planning
5. Helping governments staying active in developing policies regarding adaptation, even though the specific climate change effect might not result in big
problems now, preventive action is always useful, so make sure that conclusions of studies actually end up as policies