The overall goal is to make our city more liveable and climate proof and to this end create a sustainable urban water management. To make The Hague more climate proof and prepare ourselves for heavy rainfall and longer periods of drought. The other objective is to jointly develop strategies on how to secure the city sweet water supply in the long term, together with external partners.

For The Hague we chose this pilot because of the current situation in Molenwijk. Molenwijk is a neighbourhood where heat is a serious problem during the summer periods. Also, this neighbourhood is in need of improvements regarding the outdoor area and its liveability. That is why the city also made a redesign for the square in a green park, the Cromvlietpark. The investment from the EU for the Urban Waterbuffer (UWB) coupled with our own investment for the redevelop-ment, allows us to make the area more climate-proof (less heat) and more attractive (more green / more meeting places, sports and play options). 

Making neighbourhoods climate-proof is an important task for The Hague; we want to limit damage from flooding, heat and drought. The UWB collects rainwater locally, which reduces the risk of flooding during heavy showers. It then purifies the rainwater and stores it in the deep subsurface. In times of heat and drought, local fresh water is available and can be pumped up for the plants and trees in the park. By giving plants more water in hot periods, they provide additional cooling and a pleasant living environment.

From the outset, we involved residents and other stakeholders from the neighbourhood in the renovation of the park. They gave input for the design. Small local businesses develop parts too. For example park benches, information boards and a podium. When the residents heard from the UWB, they started initiatives with housing corporations in the district. Such as collecting water on balconies to reuse it for plants during drought.  
With its city farm and vegetable gardens, with play and sports options and seating areas, the new Cromvliet Park will be the beating heart of the district.

In the last months, the tender has been completed successfully and the contractors have begun to work out the plans further. Construction work started in May 2020. At the same time, we’ve set up a monitoring program together with Allied Water, Waterboard Delfland and drinking water supplier Dunea. With this program we can check the long-term functioning and the water quality of the UWB, to guarantee 100% safety. We hope to use the lessons learned for possible follow-up projects.

How important it is to keep in good contact with each other; with colleagues, with external parties, with residents and with other stakeholders. It is a complex project, in which different fields of expertise are needed. But it’s also a very nice project, which people like to join. Ultimately, all this knowledge combined will provide us with solutions for the future of our city.

The Hague would like to share the knowledge and experience in the construction of a UWB (in combination with a neighbourhood park) in an urban residential environment. Until now UWBs have mostly been applied in an agricultural context. Only one other exists in an urban context (Sparta Stadium Rotterdam). Our project is a pilot since it concerns a residential environment and that we use both rainwater and surface water from the adjacent quay, which we purify and store in the deep underground. This has never been done before. So we hope this will prove to be a good solution to manage fresh water in cities.