Climate change in the Netherlands : Challenges for a safe and attractive urban environment

Climate change in cities has so far been underexposed in Dutch research on climate change adaptation. High population density and high economic values make Dutch urban areas nevertheless vulnerable to climate change. Even with stringent mitigation policies Dutch cities will be subject to warmer summers, more peaks in rainfall and wetter winters. Some scenarios project dryer summers. Impacts will be felt by various societal and economic sectors, such as households, building sector, transport and the health sector. As investments in the built environment (e.g. buildings, infrastructure) have a long depreciation period, it is efficient to take adaptation into account in current decisions. Possible synergies with climate change mitigation need to be explored. This paper summarizes possible urban adaptation measures and describes a systematic approach to their implementation. It concludes with elements for a research agenda