Challenges and Opportunities in Upscaling Room for the River: A Conversation about Large-scale Change through Small-scale Interventions

Highlighted by the recent 2021 flood events in Europe, this research takes the momentum to underline the necessity for radical solutions that embrace uncertain and extreme discharges at the core of planning and design frameworks. Building upon existing Adaptive Management practices in the Netherlands, this research takes the experience of the Room for the River programme to discuss the challenges and opportunities arising from its (eventually inevitable) upscaling in the context of the Netherlands. It does so by means of two spatial and two managerial inquiries to draw conclusions on the complexities and entry points to shift towards large-scale change through small-scale interventions.