Toward a Value Case Approach for Designing Sustainable Water Systems

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DOI:

https://doi.org/10.58981/bluepapers.2025.1.01

Keywords:

PortCityFutures, port city territories, value case approach, Water systems design, adaptive strategies

Abstract

Designing water systems – interconnected networks of water-related structures and practices – is not only a matter of technology and economics, but also of history, institutions and culture. Understanding these multiple, overlapping and interconnected spaces and practices requires a holistic approach that contextualizes current projects and helps identify challenges and opportunities. The article introduces a value case approach, including tools and methods that can be used to connect spatial, social and cultural conditions and their change over time. Such comprehensive understanding can potentially be used to facilitate societal change and guide political decision-making. The article first explores the rationale and setup of a value-case approach in the context of the PortCityFutures Center and the work of the UNESCO Chair Water, Ports and Historic Cities. It concludes by introducing key elements and methodological tools.

How to Cite

Hein, C. (2025). Toward a Value Case Approach for Designing Sustainable Water Systems. Blue Papers, 4(1), 30–43. https://doi.org/10.58981/bluepapers.2025.1.01

Published

2025-07-09

Issue

Vol. 4 No. 1 (2025): Water & Heritage for Sustainable Development

Section

challenges, concepts and new approaches

License

Copyright (c) 2025 Carola Hein

Creative Commons License

This work is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 International License.

Author Biography

Carola Hein, Delft University of Technology

Carola Hein is Professor History of Architecture and Urban Planning at Delft University of Technology, Professor at Leiden and Erasmus University and UNESCO Chair Water, Ports and Historic Cities. She has published and lectured widely on topics in contemporary and historical architectural, urban and planning history and has tied historical analysis to contemporary development. Among other major grants, she received a Guggenheim and an Alexander von Humboldt fellowship. Her recent books include Port City Atlas (2023), Oil Spaces (2021), Urbanisation of the Sea (2020), Adaptive Strategies for Water Heritage (2020), The Routledge Planning History Handbook (2018), Port Cities: Dynamic Landscapes and Global Networks (2011). Carola is also the leader of the PortCityFutures research group.

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