Designing a Just and Climate Resilient Transboundary Region

At some point this century or the beginning of the next, the ability of the Netherlands to keep pace with accelerated sea level rise may be overwhelmed. When that begins to happens, large numbers of people from low-lying parts of the Netherlands, but also Belgium and Germany, will move to higher ground. At the same time, people from the Global South will migrate to Europe. When the next “great migration” begins, borders will come into play. There is considerable resistance to imagining retreat in the Netherlands, even though it is an officially recognized adaptation pathway.

In this multi-phase project that integrates climate science, policy, design, theater, and video, Simon Richter (SAS) and Matthijs Bouw (Weitzman) will work with partners in the Netherlands and Germany in order to re-imagine transboundary climate migration and thus stimulate future-oriented conversation among water sector professionals, policy makers, and the general public in both countries.