The Life of a New Yorker Goes to Holland: Day 5

 Wednesday, March 19th signaled the 5th day of our tour and was a more laid back agenda. The students and staff of Pratt Institute, other community leaders, and I met up to take a walk around a museum and view more integrated flood protective infrastructure in Rotterdam.

The Museum Boijmans Van Beuningen 

Corner view of the museum entrance

Greek Inspired artwork featured in front museum

On Wednesday morning we met in front of The Museum Boijmans Van Beuningen where we would start our day. There was a little confusion on my end where I thought we were going to tour inside the museum when in actuality the students met in front the museum and began their walking tour without ever having gone inside.

So I had a special solo tour of the beautiful arts museum and was quite pleased with the collection of historical European art. The museum survived the bombing of 1940 and was still full of rich historical context, art, paintings, and sculptures.

The Water Plaza

I am thoroughly convinced that the Netherlands natives are religiously dedicated to protecting their home. The water plaza is another cleverly integrated flood protection method that we were introduced to.The plaza is a full water management system that also can be used as a daily skate park, basketball court, and general recreational area right in the heart of Rotterdam near Central Station. It is a complex and innovative system that utilizes water absorbent agriculture, fountains, and en extensive drainage system connected to the sewer lines so that when it rains the water is easily absorbed, stored, and managed.

Various parts of the Water Plaza System

I was yet again impressed at the many ways flood protective infrastructure can be integrated into everyday live. These were all the ways the Netherlands were making their city sustainable and protected against flood, climate change, and natural disasters. Our evening ended in great conversation in the lounge of our hostel and a bittersweet acknowledgement that our last days in Holland were approaching swept over us all. With everything we had already learned and experienced I felt satisfied knowing I could return to Red Hook with all this information but I also felt pretty sad knowing my adventure was coming to an end.