Transforming water infrastructure by linking water management and urban renewal in Rotterdam

There are different viewpoints possible with regard to new urban water infrastructural investments. A relatively new point of view is that renewal of water infrastructure needs to be linked to ongoing urban developments and urban renewal projects. This article investigates how water management in the city of Rotterdam developed its climate adaptation strategy by creating water management strategies linked to urban development strategies. A crucial factor for this new viewpoint was the recognition that water could contribute to solve urban problems by upgrading deprived neighbourhoods. This research indicates that the urban water managers in Rotterdam have initiated a successful water policy innovation, however, the institutional mechanisms in order to realize and maintain the proposed multi-stakeholder projects are still lacking. This is currently the major challenge for realizing climate adaptation in terms of water sensitive urban development.