Anne Loes Nillesen adds architects & urban planners' interests to the NWP Advisory Board

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NWP's Advisory Board has expanded with a new member: Professor Anne Loes Nillesen. She is the founder of Defacto Urbanism, an urban design company, and teaches at the Technical University of Delft’s Urban Design Department. NWP’s Advisory Board meets four times a year to provide NWP strategic guidance and advice on the needs and priorities of the sector. The Advisory Board, chaired by Henk Nieboer, now consists of 10 members, who together are a good reflection of the overall Dutch water sector. In her capacity as a member of NWP’s Advisory Board, Nillesen represents the group of spatial planners and architects. In this interview, she elaborates on the developments and opportunities for spatial planners and architects within the international water domain.

“I have always been fascinated by the relationships between natural conditions, water systems, and urban development,” Nillesen explains. “This led to my founding an urban design company called Defacto Urbanism in 2006. Our company develops long-term strategies and concrete design projects in which we give water and climate adaptation a key role. Our key focus is sustainable urbanisation and preparing cities for climate adaptation.” She goes on to explain some of their projects. “We worked on the sea level rise knowledge programme of the Delta Programme in the Netherlands. Outside the Netherlands, Defacto Urbanism often works with nature-based solutions strategies, for example with a consortium in Kigali, Nakuru, Galveston Bay, and Khulna, and with delta plans, such as the Mekong Delta plan and the Bangladesh Delta plan. Every area has a unique water system,” she continues. “In our projects, the water and soil system conditions function as the guiding principles in each area. We strive to create quality urban areas, with enough space for urban green, which is sufficiently climate adaptive. We strategise on where to develop ports and cities and where to give space to nature.’’

All our transition tasks have a strong spatial component

Nillesen further elaborates on their nature-based solutions project in Kigali, commissioned by the World Bank. “The water system in Kigali is quite different from the flat tidal delta here, as Kigali has hilly slopes with wetlands in between. Deforestation and human activity are causing water to run down from the hills at high velocities, which in turn causes erosion and mudslides. Our consortium, which consists of economic consultancy firms and engineering firms, was tasked with producing design principles that slow down and retain water. We designed a toolbox that shows how to do this in different urban typologies, and we examined the cost-effectiveness of the project.’’

Apart from her work at Defacto Urbanism, Nillesen also teaches at the Technical University of Delft’s Urban Design Department. “I teach students to connect research and design methodology and to combine these in their design projects. As a professor, I focus on the transitions we are facing – such as mobility, circularity, and agriculture – that have a strong spatial component. The challenge is to properly integrate these systems into sustainable designs.''

Ambassador for spatial planning and architecture

“The spatial component and qualitative aspects of many water projects are becoming increasingly important. Yet, in the water world, we are still searching for how to bring in that spatial component as an integral connector of multidisciplinary projects. I would like to be an ambassador for the added value that spatial design and planning can bring to projects. As a member of NWP’s Advisory Board, I can represent the interests of this group. I also like the fact that NWP brings many parties together and is very visible.’’

As a member of NWP’s Advisory Board, I can represent the interests of the architects and spatial planners. I also like the fact that NWP brings many parties together and is very visible.

Professor Anne Loes Nillesen

NWP's Advisory Board member

Assessment frameworks become more qualitative

There are countless international opportunities for urban planners and architects, says Nillesen. “They are increasingly prescribed as team members for large projects because they work holistically and can see the connections between themes. This gives them an important key position in projects. I also see the trend of more qualitative assessment frameworks. It is no longer just a functional assessment or cost-benefit assessment, but qualitative aspects are increasingly coming into play. Also, among investors, more and more consideration is given to aspects such as the ecological benefits that a project brings and projects’ contributions to biodiversity and the living environment. Wider expertise is in increasing demand, and water experts are collaborating with economists, spatial designers, and ecologists more often to create integrated designs.”

The task will become much broader

Nillesen sees many opportunities for the Dutch water sector. “The task will become much broader. It is not only about better water management, but also about the social and spatial side. The Netherlands has a strong professional tradition of integrated work, through education, mindset, and example projects such as ‘Room for the River’*. We have worked in an integrated fashion in the Netherlands for a long time and we are leading the way in this,” she concludes.

*Room for the River is a Government design plan intended to address flood protection, master landscaping, and improve the environmental conditions in the areas surrounding rivers in the Netherlands.