Thermal walks in Hengelo - winter walks results

For our BSc module Smart solutions for sustainable cities two groups of students performed two separate thermal walks this winter in the same locations as our previous students did last summer. On the first day in December it was still quite warm with afternoon temperatures reaching up to 15 degrees Celsius, whereas the second day was right after heavy snowfall had cleared on 13 January. While it was colder with 9 degrees Celsius, people experienced the day as relatively comfortable, but this could be due to it being less cold than the days before.

The most important conclusions were that thermal walks were possible and relevant in winter. There should be a higher emphasis on the perceived temperatures as this proved to be more unrelated to external factors than in summer. Also, while in summer temperature and solar radiation were the main weather factors affecting comfort, in winter wind and humidity/precipitation were much more influential. Other differences are found in the table below.

Only denser vegetation had some impact on reducing wind speed, and most urban green infrastructure was too sparse to impact this. However, denser green infrastructure could block more solar radiation and thereby reduce thermal comfort. A balance between these two factors needs to be found when UGI is designed, not just for summer, but for year round thermal comfort. 

 

UT Field Lab - Staircase constructed

This week the staircase was constructed and we can now access the roof. It was a bit slippery due to the cold, but it did lead to beautiful views of the entire UT Field Lab terrain.  

The roof itself was also very much prepared for the upcoming installation of three different green roofs. The control section (North East) is already finished and still has small rocks where I expect birds to nest in again in a few weeks.

Roof 1 (North West) will have an extensive green roof.

 

 

Roof 2 (South West) will have a more instensive green roof.

 

 

 

 

 

Roof 3 (South East) will have a blue-green roof.  

 

 

 

The walkway was mostly non slippery due to the type of paneling used and the runoff of water from most of the tiles. The only obstacles are the sunroof where we have to pass around, and two small vents. There are also some heigth differences between the staircase and the walkway, and the different tiles. It looks like anyone who can access the staircase can also reasonably be able to access this walkway. For those visitors unable to access the roof, we will construct something downstairs.

Finally the staircase itself. Within 15 steps you reach the roof. Though it is steel, which is not the most environmentally friendly material, it is the most longlasting from materials on offer, so we can expect the roof to have a long research lifetime ahead of it.

 

 

Policy trends in river and flood management in the Netherlands since the 2010s - part 2

This part covers the organizations involved in Dutch water management and their roles. The next part delves deeper into the most relevant policies at each organizational level and how they cooperate and guide others.  

Involved Dutch governmental organizations[i], [ii]

 

As the Netherlands is part of the European Union, legislation and guidelines from an EU level have to be taken up as part of the national policies. Many different parties are involved in water management, from the central government down to the municipalities, and they each have different responsibilities ranging from policy development to implementation. The below list gives an overview of the main involved parties. 

• National government

The national government enacts laws, protects the Netherlands against flooding, and manages large rivers, canals, and lakes. It is responsible for creating national water policy and nationwide measures on water. It also sets flood safety norms for the primary flood defenses, which is the system of dykes and dunes that protects the country from the sea and the water in the major rivers. The Ministry of Infrastructure and Water is the most important subdivision involved, and the so-called Delta-Commissioner, an independent commissioner responsible to oversee the implementation of delta program policies, is a part of this ministry.  

• Rijkswaterstaat (RWS)

Rijkswaterstaat is the public works department responsible for managing national waters. These are large bodies of water such as the sea, rivers, and some of the larger canals. RWS issues timely warnings to the relevant government bodies when a high water event is expected or there is a storm at sea. It also maintains dykes, dams, floodgates and storm surge barriers. It protects the coastline and ensures rivers have the room they need, for example by deepening flood plains and digging side channels.

• Royal Dutch Meteorological Institute (KNMI)

The KNMI creates a special weather forecast daily for Rijkswaterstaat, with the precipitation                 expectations for the tributaries of the Rhine and Meuse rivers.[iii] 

• Provinces (12 in total)

The provinces supervise water boards, monitor the drinking water supply, issue permits for water extraction, and coordinate regional policy. Provinces are responsible for developing regional policies arising from the national water policy. They also have operational tasks relating to water management, such as removing groundwater from the soil. The Environmental and Planning Act stipulates that managing the quality of the groundwater is also the task of the provinces.  

• Waterboards (21 in total)

Local water authorities named water boards manage water in the districts they serve. Some also maintain shipping channels and rural roads. Water boards manage dikes, streams, ditches, and treat wastewater. They also take care of small valuable water bodies such as ponds and springs. They ensure that the water is clean and fish stocks are up to par. They take measures to protect against flooding and ensure that farmers have enough water for their crops. They are also responsible for waste water purification. They draw up management plans to ensure good quality water in their districts. They are also responsible for regional flood defenses, which protect against flooding from canals.

• Drinking water companies (10 in total)[iv]

Vitens and other water companies are responsible for the extraction, treatment, and supply of drinking water.

• Municipalities (342 in total)

Municipalities manage the sewerage system, groundwater in public spaces, and the drainage of rainwater during heavy rainfall through the sewage system. 

• Local network

Local networks can act as organizer and intermediary between the above listed organizations. An example is the Twents Waternet for 14 municipalities, the province, and the waterboard. This prevent reinventing the wheel as all efforts to investigate, develop, and spread information is coordinated, by means of e.g. a climate atlas showing future regional impacts[v].

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[i] https://www.overijssel.nl/onderwerpen/water/

[ii] https://www.government.nl/topics/water-management/water-management-in-the-netherlands

[iii] https://www.knmi.nl/kennis-en-datacentrum/uitleg/hoogwaterberichten

[iv] https://www.easyswitch.nl/waterleveranciers-overzicht/

[v] https://twn.klimaatmonitor.net

 

Installing internal sensors

This week I installed internal sensors for temperature and humidity, one in each of the rooms at the West side of the BMC building. At the moment, only one room is occupied for some days a week, but we hope to bring more people in. One other issue compromising the research plan is that one room is now reserved for equipment storage. Though it is not taking up much space, it might influence the comparability of results. However, I expect it is still fine for people to sit next to the equipment. 

The installed sensors are the smart weather station and air quality monitors from Netatmo. Not only are they easy to install, there are also online video instructions available to help with installation. Each unit automatically connects to an online dashboard where all data can be anaylzed and downloaded. This equipment provides all the information we need and requires little space. The only requirement for functioning well is that they are not placed near a heating source. Now all we need internally is more people.