Poznan Municipality and investor SwedeCenter have founded a partnership called “Na Rzecz Warty” with the Dutch consultancy firms KuiperCompagnons (Urban Planning & Design) and DHV (Engineering). This cooperation opens up an unique opportunity for designing a complex development plan for the waterfront areas situated on the Warta River. The Dutch Government is supporting the project as part of its ‘Working with water worldwide’ programme. The total investment comes to 400,000 euro.
In recent years the Warta on several occasions has caused floods in Poznan, with major material and financial damage as a result. The canalized course of the river is no longer able to cope with the ever-larger peak flows. What’s more, the civil engineering approach to the river adopted by the municipal authorities in the past has led to the city now back-facing the river.
The ‘Development Strategy River Warta Poznań’ project hinges on drawing up a strategy that allows water safety measures to be incorporated in Poznań’s broadly based social development while at the same time enabling spatial developments to be adapted to essential water management measures. The currently neglected river floodplains will be restored and made attractive in tandem with water safety improvements. Thus the historically mutually beneficial relationship of city and water will get a future-orientated refreshment.
The Dutch partners KuiperCompagnons and DHV will draw upon their experience from various ‘Room for the River’ projects in the Netherlands and urban innovations worldwide.
Working with water worldwide
The ‘Working with water worldwide’ subsidy program is part of the ‘Partners for Water’ program. This program seeks to combine the strengths of experts to improve the international position of the Dutch water sector, thus contributing to solutions to the global water issue. For this purpose the program is supporting ambitious parties in the Dutch water sector by providing subsidies to carry out innovative projects in other countries.
The Partners for Water project is being implemented by NL EVD International (part of NL Agency) and the Netherlands Water Partnership (NWP).
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Dredging Today Staff, February 7, 2012; Image: kuiper