Sustainable co-evolution of the natural and built environment along sandy shores
This project aims to develop knowledge, tools and design principles for dynamic occupation of the land-sea interface, to enhance BwN-processes and exploit its potential for the spatial development of multi-functional coastal environments – shorescapes. The sandy, dune-aligned west coast of the Netherlands is employed as a Living Lab to study interaction of aeolian sediment flows and building-configurations in the beach-dune environment and develop design principles to support these dynamics in order to contribute to the natural adaptation and sustainable development of urban sandy shores.
TU Delft focusses on developing design principles for the dynamic occupation of the land-sea interface to enhance BwN-processes and contribute to the natural adaptation and sustainable development of urban coastal zones. To use BwN solutions to its fullest potential, new urban typologies are required that are adaptive and can integrate with the morphological dynamics. The expected results are a set of tested (generic) design principles for the development of coastal buffer zones on the land-sea interface to enhance BwN-processes in different coastal conditions and time-scales. These principles will be underpinned by site-specific virtual and/or scale modeling and illustrated by (inter)national case-studies, to show the range of solutions for sediment-based integral adaptation of urban coastal zones.
This project enables joint research by Delft University of Technology, Department of Urbanism and University of Twente Department of Water Engineering & Management in the Top Sector Water program in the period 2017-2022. Other partners include Rijkswaterstaat, Deltares, Imares, H+N+S Landscape Architects, Hoogheemraadschap Noord-Hollands Kwartier and Witteveen + Bos are also involved in the research project.
Funded project
Project Leaders: Dr Steffen Nijhuis (TUD) / Prof Kathelijne Wijnberg (UT, overall project coordination). The total project team consists of about 8 professors, post-doc’s and PhD-candidates.
PhD-candidate: Ir Janneke van Bergen
Supervison: Prof Han Meyer, Dr Steffen Nijhuis
Period: 2017-2022
Funding: NWO Top Sector Water Program
