CONSULTANT AT WATERMOTION|WATERBEWEGING
“There is a wide understanding in Dutch society that there needs to be conversation and dialogue. But culturally the Dutch are very divided between the alpha, beta and gamma sciences. As Ronald Waterman concluded, with alpha, beta and gamma you can build a beautiful delta. This a good thing to achieve.”
SONG YA
STUDENT URBANISM AT TU DELFT
“When it comes to deltas, there are a lots of different kinds of expertise and sciences involved. It is interesting to learn about how some of them are combined at conferences such as DIMI’s conference ‘Deltas & Ports of the Future’. I’m looking forward to delving deeper and learning more about the different, but complementary approaches.”
RESEARCHER AT PBL NETHERLANDS ENVIRONMENTAL ASSESSMENT AGENCY
“It is exciting that the technological approach is now being combined with other approaches and factors, such as ecological and cultural factors. I think we have just got started doing this and there is still a lot to be discovered.”
URBAN DESIGNER, CAMPUS NOI
“It is important to take your knowledge with you. But when you have a new project in a new area, you have to be open to what is going on and the new context. You have to be open to new ideas because no delta is the same. Also, it is important to combine short-term goals with long-term goals.”
NICO DIRKZWAGER
RETIRED CONTRACTOR
“We have to be aware of the problems of rising sea-levels and what their impact will be on both the poor and the not-so-poor members of society. It is the poor people of each country that are being most severely affected. Gaming with port design gave me an insight into the decision making process in designing ports.”
THEODOROS FRAGKOPOULOS
MASTERS STUDENT, TU DELFT
“Decisions need to be made in a multi-disciplinary manner. Engineers need to take on board the social implications of the development of infrastructure.”
PROGRAM MANAGER BOSKALIS
“We have a strong experience of negotiating and dialogue here in The Netherlands. We have to get along: we all know each other. It is important to be open-minded and to listen well to the needs of other partners. We have to be multi-disciplinary. These are the key points.”
