Speaker
Description
The Rhine River basin is Western Europe’s most crucial water channel, supporting the region’s economy, ecology, and cultural heritage. It is central in agricultural, industrial, and urban processes across multiple countries from Switzerland to the Netherlands. However, the Rhine is increasingly vulnerable to various environmental and infrastructural stresses caused by climate-induced droughts and floods exacerbated by human interventions, urban development, and intensive resource use. Further predictions indicate that longer, hotter, and drier summers, coupled with rising sea levels and soil subsidence, will intensify both water scarcity and flood risk. Consequently, this threatens the ecological stability, agricultural productivity, industrial processes, and the Rhine’s essential role as a freight transport corridor. The consequences are substantial, given that the basin's urban, ecological, and economic sectors depend on steady water resources.
If adaptive urban strategies, resilient infrastructure, and cross-border collaboration are integrated to maintain the Rhine's dynamic equilibrium, subsequently economic resilience, secure freight transport, and the river’s cultural trade heritage can be sustained despite climate-induced variability.
This thesis investigates the core of the theoretical framework of Climate Adaptation, which is essential for addressing hydrological challenges threatening the basin. This framework recognizes the need for integrated, proactive measures and is supported by two critical dimensions of water governance and infrastructure economics. These dimensions include multiple theories and models, like Integrated Water Resource Management (IWRM), Socio-Hydrological Model, Hydro-Political Framework, Resilience theory, Externalities theory, and Polycentric governance theory, enabling the development of an informed and integrated framework for the basin. a comprehensive foundation for strategic interventions. Furthermore, cartographic analysis is done across three scales - Macro, Meso, and Micro, to examine multiple layers of historical settings, current conditions, and projections to understand further challenges arising from them. The major focus is placed on flooding and droughts posing significant challenges across multiple sectors. Following this, a field trip is conducted in selected areas to validate theoretical findings by engaging with local experts, municipalities, and the general population. Therefore, building a strong foundation for strategic interventions through Research by Design.
This project is expected to yield a comprehensive strategic master plan to minimize floods and drought consequences in the Rhine River Basin. The primary predicted outcomes are a pilot Project Proposal, an Integrated Framework for Water Management, Policy recommendations, and scalable strategies. The scope of this research is focused on sustainable economic growth, addressing the challenges caused by flooding and droughts within the Rhine River without compromising the river's identity as a trade heritage. However, additional dimensions such as Ecological Impacts and Biodiversity, Conservation Socio-Economic Dimensions, Safety and Security of Flood and Drought Protection Systems, and Interdependencies of impacted sectors are reserved for future exploration, allowing this study to focus sharply on its primary objective.
In conclusion, this thesis addresses the growing vulnerability of the Rhine River basin to climate-induced environmental stresses, particularly floods and droughts, which threaten its ecological stability and socio-economic functions. By exploring integrated approaches to water governance and infrastructure resilience, this research emphasizes the importance of adaptive strategies and cross-border collaboration in managing these challenges. The study’s combination of theoretical analysis and practical fieldwork provides a comprehensive understanding of the basin’s complexities and speculates the groundwork for a strategic plan to mitigate the impacts of hydrological extremes.
| Keywords | Rhine River Basin; climate adaptation; flooding; droughts; infrastructure resilience |
|---|---|
| Best Congress Paper Award | Yes |
