Flanders today faces a gigantic challenge to make its landscape – and specifically river and stream valleys – climate resilient. For decades we have been draining our valleys, straightening rivers and streams, and for the last half century we have been living in them. Today, we must face a new reality. The new climatic conditions in which we live force us to reach a new balance in our (landscape) system. One of the valleys now being addressed is the Dendervallei. Within the Dendervallei Strategic Plan Room for Water we are investigating solutions for the flood and drought problems in the Dendervallei.

Scenarios have been developed for the entire valley on how we can begin to protect the valley from flooding. One is this one from Parate Residents. Parate Residents is focusing on individual measures that residents or property owners can take to avoid or reduce flood damage.

With students of Landscape and Garden Architecture, we want to look for nature-based solutions to complex these 21 century challenges such as dehydration and floods. Specifically, we want to consider how the private garden and consequently the landscape can be used to protect individual houses or entire neighborhoods from flooding. The glorious history of Flemish garden art is an important starting point.

(c) Annelies De Nijs