The tradition of making: Polder cities

Climate change brings larger and more frequent rainstorms and Dutch cities are confronted with water nuisance. The urban water systems are unable to deal with this change in the hydrological cycle in spite of the fact that the Dutch are dealing with this condition for centuries. The question is: What is the tradition of building in wet and soft soil conditions? There is a lack of systematic research into this matter and a base for future development is missing. This research fills this gap for the tasks in the polder. A framework of seven phases offers insight into the relation between the landscape, the available technology and urbanization per phase. It becomes clear that until the Industrial Revolution the “making” was at the base for the city “shape”. Since technology makes everything possible the “shape” is starting point made possible by technology and completely disconnected from the natural system of the landscape. The method of building-site preparation is crucial in the way the urban design is connected to the landscape as carrier of the hydrological system.UrbanismArchitectur