Expo Dubai | Urban & Rural Development Week at the Netherlands Pavilion
Cities and rural areas around the world are dealing with two extremes: more frequent and intense floods and heat waves. To highlight water as an important theme within the Urban & Rural Development Week, the Netherlands Water Partnership (NWP), together with the City of Rotterdam and the Government of the Netherlands, is organising a one-day event on 1 November:
‘Two Extremes: Flooding and Heatwaves. Resilience Challenges and Innovation in Cities and Coastal Areas’.
This event is part of the extensive programme in the Netherlands Pavilion at Expo 2020 Dubai.
Programme (in-person and online)
At the event cities from around the world will exchange ideas, stories of adaptation, and innovative solutions that are helping to address these two extreme issues. This exchange will include strategies that help meet ecological (green infrastructure, nature-based solutions), social (participatory design and communities’ programs), and economical (entrepreneurial innovation, financing for sustainable projects) benefits, showing an exchange of best practices from around the world in a diverse set of contexts.
09:30 - 10:30 UAE | High Level Opening
Moderator:
- Bianca Nijhof - Managing Director Netherlands Water Partnership
Speakers:
- Peter Potman - Deputy Director-General for Foreign Economic Relations, Dutch Ministry of Foreign Affairs
- Henk Ovink - Special Envoy for International Water Affairs, Kingdom of the Netherlands
- Gerben Wigmans - Director General Urban Management, City of Rotterdam
- Lianne Dalziel - Mayor of the City of Christchurch, New Zealand
- Talib Adbulkareem Mohammed Julfar - Chief Executive Officer, Infrastructure Services Sector, City of Dubai
- Kyle R. Overly - Disaster Risk Reduction Director, Maryland Department of Emergency Management
- Silvia Chávez Cereceda - International Cooperation Manager, Mexican National Water Commission
- Claudio Orrego Larraín - Regional Governor, Regional Government of Metropolitan Santiago
- Erion Veliaj - Mayor of the City of Tirana
10:45 - 11:15 | Dutch Wavemakers Kick Off (in-person)
Technical Sessions - Resilience Challenges and Solutions
11:30 - 13:00 UAE | Technical Session Heat Stress
Combating the lack of water and heat waves in the city. With presentations by Dutch representatives from Dutch firms with local representatives and a live Q&A at the Netherlands Pavilion
Moderator
- Jeroen Trimpe Burger - Young Expert Programme (YEP)
Speakers
- Johan Verlinde - Program Manager Rotterdam Climate Adaptation Plan, City of Rotterdam
- Stephanie Erwin - Landscape Architect and Urban Designer, KuiperCompagnons
- Kristina Knauf - Associate Architect, MVRDV
- Klaasjan Raat - Senior Scientific Researcher and Project Manager Geohydrology Team, KWR
- Louise Bleach - Desolenator
13:30 - 15:00 UAE | Technical Session Flooding
The city as a sponge, future-proof cities adapt to reduce flooding risk.
Moderator
- Loay Alatrash - Young Expert Programme (YEP)
Speakers
- Johan Verlinde - Program Manager Rotterdam Climate Adaptation Plan, City of Rotterdam
- Floris Boogaard - Senior Consultant, Deltares
- Martin Knuijt - Director OKRA Landscape Architecture
- Jaap Klein - Team Leader Urban Climate Adaptation, Witteveen+Bos
- Rutger de Graaf - Blue 21
15:30 - 17:00 UAE | Technical Session Resilient Coastal Systems
Climate adaptation for thriving coastal communities.
Moderator
- Loay Alatrash - Young Expert Programme (YEP)
Speakers
- Dano Roelvink
- Reinout Viersma - Programme Manager Climate Adaptation, Van Oord
- Louis Braam - Rebel Group
- Pieter Bakker - Senior Design Manager / Global Manager Xbloc, BAM InfraConsult
- Sid Vollebregt - Elemental Water Makers
Closing Ceremony
17:30 - 18:45 UAE | Closing Ceremony
Chaired by Mayor Aboutaleb from the City of Rotterdam, representatives from cities around the world and local firms interested on exchanging solutions with Dutch organisations. This closing ceremony brings together a recap of the lessons gained during this day from the solutions and initiatives exchanged.
Moderator:
- Bianca Nijhof - Managing Director Netherlands Water Partnership
Speakers:
- Ahmed Aboutaleb - Mayor of the City of Rotterdam
- Peter Potman - Deputy Director-General for Foreign Economic Relations, Dutch Ministry of Foreign Affairs
- Henk Ovink - Special Envoy for International Water Affairs, Kingdom of the Netherlands
- Talib Adbulkareem Mohammed Julfar - Chief Executive Officer, Infrastructure Services Sector, City of Dubai
- Kyle R. Overly - Disaster Risk Reduction Director, Maryland Department of Emergency Management
- Claudio Orrego Larraín - Regional Governor, Regional Government of Metropolitan Santiago
- Erion Veliaj - Mayor of the City of Tirana
Join this event
If you would like to attend online, please register via www.virtual.dutchdubai.com. This particular event will appear in the activities calendar shortly.
Netherlands Water Partnership is coordinator of the Dutch water track during Expo 2020 Dubai. More to come in 2022.
