Research Initiative

Delta Urbanism

Delta Urbanism is an interdisciplinary research program at the Delft University of Technology which investigates the possibilities to combine flood protection, soil and water management strategies with urban design, landscape design and spatial planning, aiming to improve spatial forms and structures and innovate urban systems in urban and metropolitan delta regions.

Founded on an interdisciplinary approach, in which designing and engineering disciplines activate innovation in design, technology and governance, the ambition is to have international impact as a specific interdisciplinairy field of work. Characterized by a body of knowledge, the work is organized in four research premises within which research, design, planning and visualization approaches and methods are developed to contribute to the making of more sensible and informed decisions within the fragile context of urban delta landscapes.

Delta Urbanism aims at exploring the scope, representation and future of delta design in times of climate crisis, looking through the lens of four research premises: ‘Land-Water-Atmosphere Continuum’, ‘Drawing the Delta’, ‘Reversed Engineering with Nature’, and ‘Extremes’.

Research leaders: Taneha Kuzniecow Bacchim, Fransje Hooimeijer