ICOMOS Presentation ‘Water & the City: Lima & Amsterdam’, 29 juni 2022, 19.30h

Wereldwijd vormt water vormt een uitdaging, maar hoe die ervaren wordt en welke maatregelen worden genomen is per locatie anders: voorbeelden zijn Amsterdam en Lima.

Wereldwijd vormt water vormt een uitdaging, maar hoe die ervaren wordt en welke maatregelen worden genomen is per locatie anders. Javier Lizarzaburu wijst op de religieuze betekenis van water voor de inwoners van Lima (foto) en Maarten Ouboter bekijkt Amsterdam als verstedelijkte delta vanuit historisch en toekomstig perspectief. Deze presentatie vindt in fysieke vorm plaats en de lezingen zijn in het Engels. Hieronder de invitatie aan alle belangstellenden:

Dear colleagues and friends, After two years of social distancing for reasons of Corona, we are very happy to invite you back for our first physical lecture-evening. We will meet again, as we were used to, at the premises of our welcoming host DutchCulture in Amsterdam. As in old times, also this evening will be preceded by informal drinks and a simple meal.   Unlike the online lectures, we now have a limited capacity for attendance. We can only accommodate 30 people. As in old times you have to register for attendance. Please use the register form through this link. Here you can also register for the preceding drinks and meal.   Unlike the online lectures we have to charge an attendance fee again to cover costs. Attendance is € 5,- (be it, only for non-members; for ICOMOS-members attendance is free of charge). If you join the preceding drinks and meal, you are charged € 15,-. All payments can be done by bank transfer on the spot.   This month’s lectures are on the currently topical water challenges. A global challenge that locally is experienced different. This evening we will compare the past, present and future of the historic water systems of Amsterdam and Lima. The two experts on this subject will share their knowledge with you and with the representatives of ICOMOS’s International Scientific Committee on Water and Heritage. We hope you will join us! Kind regards, The ICOMOS Netherlands Lecture Committee: Ankie Petersen, Ardjuna Candotti, Jacomine Hendrikse Daan Lavies, Jean-Paul Corten, Maurits van Putten, Remco Vermeulen and Sofia Lovegrove Date:  29 June 2022 Time: 19h30-21h30 (drinks and meal from 18h30) Place: DutchCulture, Herengracht 474 Amsterdam Language: English

PROGRAMME 19:30    Welcome and introduction 19:35    Amsterdam, a delta city living with water: Analyses of the past, action perspective for the present, design principles for the future by Maarten Ouboter 19:55    Short Q&A 20:05    Break 20:15    The canals of Lima: Landscape, memory, decolonization by Javier Lizarzaburu 20:35    Q&A and Panel discussion  21:00    End

Amsterdam, a delta city living with water Analyses of the past, action perspective for the present, design principles for the future by Maarten Ouboter   Amsterdam developed on the connection point of the Amstel river and the Zuiderzee. The city dealt with flood levels by constructing a dike, of which the level was adapted to the latest flood level. The flood levels happened to increase during the 17th century. The highest flood occurred in November 1675. The dike contained locks and sluices for shipping transportation and for managing river discharge. Water managers had a view on sea water levels and on river discharges. The sluices were constantly operated to block flood levels and to allow polder area discharges. And even more complicated, on a normal day tidal motion was used to flush the city canal system by letting water in during flood and spilling it back during eb tide. The system as developed over the centuries helps us now to deal with intense rainfall, drought and everyday water management. The sluices and locks are still being used, although the sea has been driven back behind the Afsluitdijk in 1932. We will have to face huge changes in our living environment in the next decades. Heavy rainfall, severe droughts and last but not least see level rise will challenge us. At least in a way comparable to the 17th century, but most likely even more intense, finally leading to an exit scenario on the time scale of two or three centuries. Maarten Ouboter, water manager for the public Regional Water Authority of Amstel, Gooi and Vecht, will describe the narratives connecting past, present and future. The necessity of design principles for the future is discussed.

The canals of Lima:  Landscape, memory, decolonization by Javier Lizarzaburu Amsterdam and Lima have one thing in common: water canals. In both places, these waterways are essential for their survival. But beyond that, there is little else in common. In this talk, Javier Lizarzaburu, heritage expert, will introduce the little-known subject of the irrigation canals of Lima, the oldest of which is estimated to be 4000 years old. He will explore their vital role in transforming the desert; the erasure of the indigenous memory; their critical role in the environmental sustainability of the city, and the campaign to reclaim its identity.

Speakers: Maarten Ouboter & Javier Lizarzaburu

Maarten Ouboter has a background in earth sciences, geo-hydrochemistry. He worked for 15 years in Delft Hydraulics. The last 21 years he works in water management in the Amsterdam area, in the field of water system analyses: why is it the way it is, and how should we invest to keep our water system on track. Historical analysis is an important aspect of the system analysis. Our living environment consists almost completely of heritage. The functionality of this heritage is key to face future challenges. The importance of heritage should be described in the values and principles anchored in the so called ‘Omgevingswet’, the new Dutch act concerning the living environment. 

Javier Lizarzaburu is an urban activist, narratives doctor and heritage specialist. He lives in the Netherlands, where this year he got a master’s degree in Heritage and Spatial Planning at the Vrije Universiteit. He started his professional life as a journalist, having worked for the BBC in London for many years. In his hometown, Lima, he was an active campaigner for the protection of the pre-colonial legacy as a way to confront racism. His interests are decolonization, citizenship and inclusive cities.