How to Think Like the Dutch in a Post-Sandy World - NYTimes.com

With the increasing threat caused by climate change, Dutch engineers have developed strategies that go beyond simply trying to keep water out. The city of Rotterdam, for instance, is building floating houses and office buildings and digging craters in downtown plazas that will be basketball courts most of the year but will fill up with runoff during high-water periods, taking the strain off the surrounding
The plan being put into place in Nijmegen and 38 other sites is called Room for the River. A wide trench is being cut through the city where the river bottlenecks — 50 farms and a number of residences are being relocated — and by summer 2015 an island will come into being. The island will form a new section of the city: Higher areas of it may contain apartment buildings; other, lower-lying sections will be developed into parks and beaches. During flood periods, the lower sections of the island will simply be engulfed by water. The new embankments in this lower area will be stepped, in part so that people can relax there and enjoy views of the city center, but also to encourage daily awareness of the ever-changing water level.


How to Think Like the Dutch in a Post-Sandy World - NYTimes.com