Rotterdam Urban Area, The Netherlands
Location
Rotterdam consists of a large harbor area and urban area, located in the Rhine-Meuse River delta region in the southwest of the Netherlands, a low-lying region characterized by soft, water-saturated sediments. The geological setting of the area has been shaped by river and marine processes.
Geographical Map
Description
Rotterdam is the second-largest city in the country and a key economic hub due to its strategic location along the Maas River and its status as home to the largest port in Europe. In the city’s urban area complex environmental challenges arise from the interplay of new developments and focus such as urban greening, biodiversity, aquifer recharge, salinization, soil health, ecosystem services, groundwater quality, water management, the unsaturated zone, and land-use changes.
Traditionally, precipitation infiltrates the groundwater, which is then drained by local surface waters. These surface waters are then discharged into rivers via various pumping stations. However, due to urbanisation, the number of paved areas has increased and local surface waters have been removed. Within these paved areas, precipitation is now mainly discharged via the sewage system. This currently causes flooding problems during intense rainfall events. These problems are expected to become more severe with future climate change and increased urbanisation. The increased paving has also reduced the amount of vegetation.
The municipality of Rotterdam is addressing the challenges posed by climate change and the decline in biodiversity. The municipality has developed various programs that will be implemented in streets and neighborhoods. Contaminants, such as organic pollutants and heavy metals, are present in the soil and groundwater and may complicate in the process of achieving soil health goals. However, there may also be opportunities to combine measures with nature-based solutions.
Purpose of the site within the PHISHES project
The urban area of Rotterdam will serve as a real-life test case to evaluate the impact of various nature-based solutions on soil health parameters. The main reasons for implementing these measures are to reduce peak discharge during heavy rainfall and to increase greening to mitigate the effects of rising temperatures due to climate change. The municipality is also interested in the effect that these measures would have on soil health parameters. Therefore, the test site will improve our understanding of soil health in urban environments and help determine relevant measures that serve not only soil health, but also other interests in urban areas, such as stable soil for infrastructure.
The expected output of this study is knowledge on indicators that are usable for determining urban soil health. The pilot study creates knowledge on the impact of spatial planning (or land use) on the performance of these indicators (or soil health).
Used tool
Deltares developed a model workflow for the quantitative evaluation of the effect of various nature-based solutions. This workflow is based on the MODFLOW 6 (MF6) framework. Learn more.
Relevant Users / Stakeholders
Municipality, province, water board. By developing a robust and actionable knowledge base, the project aims to support policymakers, urban planners, environmental managers, and other stakeholders in navigating the intricate relationship between climate adaptation, urban greening, biodiversity, soil health, and groundwater quality
Lead
Deltares: learn more.