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Problem Drivers and Indicators • 7

In 1900, only 13% of the world’s population lived in cities. By 2050,
that number will have risen to 70%. We are adding the equivalent of
seven New Yorks to the planet every year.

raPidly develoPing nations
and resourCe dePletion

With population growth comes the need to provide those basic needs
mentioned previously, and it also places a major strain on the resources
available. In the Netherlands, even more so than in other nations, land, as
a resource, is at a premium. This is a country that is 55% below sea level.
The sea and, water in general, are ever present. In some countries, fill-
ing in wetlands is considered a less than ideal approach to development.
The Netherlands has started to take a different approach, which is also
being used in other parts of the world. Instead of working against the
water, this approach works with the water. According to the J. K. (Koen)
Olthuis, architect for Waterstudios, NL, “The New Water” (Het Nieuwe
Water) is a benchmark project in Dutch water management development.
The artificially maintained water level of this former polder, (a low-lying
tract of land enclosed by embankments known as dikes) which measures
approximately 2.5 km by 500 m (70 ha), will be raised to chest level, cre-
ating a site that not only will act as a regional contingency water storage
area, but also will host a multitude of water-related developments includ-
ing 1,200 dwellings. The first project of the New Water will be the apart-
ment complex called Citadel. Ecological, recreational, and residential
demands are integrated into a landscape that is organized into different
thematic compartments, each offering a specific experience of the water,
specific building typologies, and a range of different ecological habitats.
In the ecological zone there will be the stilthouses, which are free from
the water’s floor so they don’t affect the zone. Construction started in
2009. For futher information about this project and other innovative
projects, go to http://waterstudio.nl/. This type of green project is being
adopted for use in other areas of the world to help with rapidly develop-
ing nations and the associated issues of resource depletion. This is an
example of a project born from an environmentally focused portfolio. See