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Slow infrastructures, flood protection and extreme weather events

Boekbijdrage - Hoofdstuk

Ondertitel:a historical perspective
This essay investigates the potential of slowness and ‘deceleration’ when discussing the history of infrastructure3. It does so by exploring the history of flood protection infrastructures. Present-day examples are overwhelmingly ‘hard’ concrete, capital and technology-intensive infrastructures, although all over the world efforts are being made to ‘soften’ them by adding natural-based solutions (restoring wetlands, fostering the growth of dune and coral barriers etc.). But present-day flood protection is not only ‘hard’, it is also ‘fast’ – introduced as a ‘project’ or ‘improvement’ at a given moment in time, often producing a complete transformation of the natural and manmade environment. In the history of flood protection we can see not only an increased rigidity of the infrastructures, but also a transition from ‘slow’ to ‘fast’ infrastructures. Exploring the historical significance of ‘slow’ flood protection, the reasons for its demise, as well as its potential as a source of inspiration for coastal and riverine environments today, are the main goals of this paper.
Boek: Environment and infrastructure challenges, knowledge and innovation from the early modern period to the present / Bonan, G. [edit]; et al. [edit]
Pagina's: 179 - 198
ISBN:978-3-11-110064-7
Jaar van publicatie:2023
Trefwoorden:H1 Book chapter
Toegankelijkheid:Closed