Streefkerk

How can the site contribute to the adaptable city?

Located in a delta region, almost 60% of The Netherlands is potentially flood-prone, either from sea or river water. The country is renowned throughout the world for its experience in the field of flood defence and technical know-how about water management. Waterschap Rivierenland plays a major role in this, given its responsibility for more than a thousand kilometres of dikes in the vicinity of large rivers. Owing to the rising sea level and the increase in heavy downpours, the dikes along the rivers will require reinforcing if the hinterland and towns and cities are to avoid flooding. In the Deltaprogramma 2015 the national strategy for rivers is laid out.

Regional strategy

The area is part of Alblasserwaard, a low-lying and predominantly sparsely-populated, agrarian region surrounded by rivers and canals. The landscape of Alblasserwaard can be characterised as an extensive, peat grassland area lying approximately one and a half metres below sea level. The area is transected by canals plus two small rivers, the river Alblas and the river Giessen. As far as development is concerned, Alblasserwaard mainly comprises villages, hamlets and a scattering of farms. In the near future dike reinforcement will be carried out along the south bank of the river Lek. This section of the river is affected by both high river-water levels and by the rising sea level.

Site definition

The site is situated on the dike bordering the river Lek and to the west of the centre of Streefkerk. Requested are small-scale, conceptual proposals for reconstruction on, in, or along the dike, while respecting the urban and surrounding rural landscape. The technical design of the new dike and the existing architecture elsewhere along the dike should be taken into account. The challenge is to reconstruct a plot of land – limited in space, between river and hinterland, with a considerable difference in height while at the same time anticipating a higher water level in the future due to a rising sea level – that blends in well with the surroundings.

Future of the site in relation to the site family and Adaptability

The site forms part of a dike reinforcement that will be carried out between 2014 and 2017. The dike reinforcement will necessitate demolishing all the existing housing on the site but, when completed, the site will be available again for development. In the area around Streefkerk, dike reinforcement is the order because there is a lot of development along the river and little space. Unavoidably, some buildings on a number of sites will have to be demolished in order to reinforce the dike. By mutual agreement, however, the buildings can be rebuilt. Either on another site, but the intention is that they are rebuilt on practically the same spot but on top of the newly-constructed bank.
Demolition and construction on condition that the foundations can be levered up (raised on their supporting piles) in connection with future reinforcement. The proposals for the site on the dike in Streefkerk should facilitate the river strategies developed within the framework of the Deltaprogramma and take into account the location, which is close by the river and the village of Streefkerk, as well as on a peat subsoil. Proposals can serve as examples for tackling the realisation of the developments in the national Deltaprogramma 2015. Streefkerk requires a lively landscape along the dike that connects the river and the village.