'We are very safe here'

Schouwburgplein plaza, designed by West 8









Train tracks through the grass! the trains cut through the city here, right in the middle of busy plazas with no barriers; people just get out of the way. Imagine that, we still have some ability to think as a species; I will say, however, that I constantly feel the need to look every direction every few seconds so I don't get smashed by some form of transportation.




This canal, called the Westersingel, was redesigned to allow for flooding; the walking path on the right and probably a good amount of the ground where the tree stands would be covered with water after a storm until levels returned to normal.






Today has been the closest we've had to a day off since we've been here, though we started with a trip to the Rotterdam Climate Office this morning. The port of Rotterdam was once the largest in the world; now it is fourth, and still the largest in Europe. It was heavily bombed during World War II, giving it a very different aesthetic from the other towns we have visited because everything is new construction. Walking from the train station we were literally surrounded by construction, cranes soaring into the air above us, the sounds of pounding and sawing rising above the noise of everyday life in a downtown area, a stark contrast from yesterday. We sat in the meeting room on the fourth floor of the World Trade Center and listened to a presentation from Chantal Ouderk Pool, who works in the fields of water management and urban design. It felt a little bit like she was attempting to convince us that their city truly was safe from the onslaught of water that threatens them in four directions: the sky, the earth, the sea and the rivers. Parts of the city lie 7 meters below sea level, and though they have planned their dikes for the one-in-one-thousand-year storm, climate change is an unpredictable beast. They fear losing foreign investment in their city, so insist with a bit of a pasted-on smile that hides a healthy amount of uncertainty that their livelihoods are protected. It was heartening, however, to hear about a governmental organization that views the inundation of water into their city as an opportunity for creativity, and that is actively searching for solutions such as flexible dikes, water plazas, parks on levees, green roofs and floating cities. They are also insistent on 'not wanting to invent the wheel alone,' so have sought out other cities facing similar problems like Jakarta, New York, London, Shanghai, and Tokyo with which to problem solve; I was surprised to not hear New Orleans on that list, but maybe she simply failed to mention it.

After the morning's excursion we returned to Utrecht, where I proceeded straight to H & M to boost my layer stockpile. It continues to be chilly here, and wet, and I am headed to the Swiss Alps for the weekend (you know, standard sort of thing to do for a weekend) before arriving in Venice, so am happy to have some more clothes. It remains to be determined if I will still be able to fit everything into my little green carry-on...