Delta Commissioner presented with the Climate-proof Cities Manifesto
The Climate-proof Cities Manifesto “Building Today for the City of the Future” was presented to the Delta Commissioner and Luzette Wagenaar-Kroon, Mayor of Waterland and member of the VNG Water Administrative Committee, in Den Bosch today.
The Manifesto contains the recommendations drawn up over the past few months by the four climate-proof cities coalitions (public spaces and greenery, construction and urban development, water and infrastructure). The recommendations are aimed at making cities climate-proof in the future. This is part of the Spatial Adaptation Delta Decision that is currently being formulated within the Delta Programme.
According to the coalitions’ Manifesto, the following elements are crucial:
- Stress testing: studying the local/regional vulnerability of urban areas and exposure to extreme weather;
- Adaptation strategy: determining individual and shared ambitions and formulating an implementation strategy for the short and long term;
- Elaboration: translating the strategy in a consistent fashion for application in all sectoral and integrated plans (policy, realisation and management);
- The prevention of damage to buildings and infrastructure as a result of shortages of groundwater is a fourth and special element
The Delta Commissioner was impressed by the amount of work that had been done. A great deal is now known about the issue and many actions were mentioned. He emphasised the importance of sharply focused choices and the elaboration, together with the stakeholders, of the actions involving the four major elements. According to the Delta Commissioner, the question is how are we going to do this. To this end, he is looking forward to the recommendations of the New Construction & Restructuring Steering Group. Is a declaration of intent sufficient or should an administrative agreement be drawn up? Or, should we set down provisions in legislation? He would like to see these points clarified in the months ahead. For the Delta Commissioner, one thing is certain: based on the analyses and solid material that is now available, it is time for commitments to be made.
In the DP2015, the Delta Commissioner will therefore set down a proposal for the approach to climate-proof cities as part of the Spatial Adaptation Delta Decision.