The international research association PortCityFutures of the Leiden, Delft and Erasmus university consortium is organizing the 50th Anniversary of the New Waterway (Nieuwe Waterweg), a three-day symposium to explore the past, present and future of this channel that links Rotterdam to the North Sea.

Speakers from international universities and other experts will exchange knowledge about the future of port areas and the infrastructure of water systems and hydraulic works in coastal and riverine areas. These spaces at the edge of sea and land are constantly subjected to drastic changes in the landscape. This creates tension between economic growth and the required infrastructure on the one hand, and the quality and sustainability of nature and living environment on the other hand.

The symposium will discuss how port areas, water infrastructures and water management can and should change to create a new, balanced and sustainable relationship between economic growth and the living environment in the long term.