Heritage and Water - Urban Planning

Just as it is today, water management has been vital to the healthy development of cities throughout history. Management includes tackling problems regarding water provision, sanitation, water levels and infrastructure. Heritage is playing an increasingly assertive role in the evolution of the present-day city. This is because it enables a critical reflection on our past that promotes a better understanding of our present and future.

The heritage objects that the Dutch share with other countries abroad are an example of that. The urban features of the Brazilian city of Recife can be partly understood as a Dutch legacy, particularly the location of the city in a river delta. When the Dutch count Maurits arrived in 1630, the settlement only had three streets. From that moment on, he expanded the urban area greatly. Because of the many bridges and canals that Recife acquired, the city is often called the ‘Venice of Brazil’. The Mauritsbridge, for example, connects the historic centre with the early Mauritsstad – nowadays also part of Recife – on the island of Antônio Vaz. This wooden bridge, the oldest bridge in present-day Brazil, dates back to 1640 and was later replaced by a concrete version.

Today, this Brazilian city requires a new, cohesive approach to its urban planning strategy that fully integrates both its cultural heritage and its water management. During the last few years Dutch planning and heritage experts have collaborated with local actors in looking at how the city could and should manage its urban area, with its heritage and water. One of these initiatives was Recife Exchange Amsterdam, a knowledge exchange programme between the cities of Recife and Amsterdam. By asking the question ‘How are both cities working on the future and what can they learn from each other?’, the Recife Exchange Amsterdam project specifically aimed to focus on this linkage.

"rXa – Recife Exchange Amsterdam"

Both Amsterdam and Recife are located in a delta and both thus have problems but also opportunities created by water. The Recife Exchange Amsterdam project looked at urban renewal, by focusing on the historical achievements both cities share.