Planning for resilient ports and airports

Abstract

Ports and airports play an important role in economic growth and are essential hubs for connectivity and trade. Many major ports and airports are situated in densely-populated urban areas, next to rivers, in deltas and alongside coasts. For example the sea ports of Europoort in the Rhine–Meuse estuary, Felixstowe in the English Midlands, Valparaiso in Chile and the international airports of Amsterdam Schiphol below sea level, London Heathrow in the Thames estuary, Singapore Changi in the South China Sea. Most of these urban areas are vulnerable to water extremes that are increased by the effects of climate change.

Cities around the world have been developing measures relating to water crises, climate change and urbanisation, but there has been insufficient progress with implementation. Major airports, as well as ports and large industrial areas, play an important role in the implementation of climate adaptation and mitigation measures in urbanised delta areas. Because of their roles in economic development of countries and their potential to take a lead, airports are in a position to be ambassadors in making areas more resilient.

Full text

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The ve key dimensions are
constructive ambitions that evolve
from an engineered port/airport
water system to more integrated
water adaptive and climate resilient
actions in port/airport planning.
Many of the water sensitive sea and
airport key ambitions and WSUD
solutions are relevant for both
airports and cities around the world.
The result envisaged is that ports
and airports will enable adaptation
by maximising the potential for
sustainability and innovation in
both water management and ood
resilience, as well as in port /airport
planning and governance.
Stress testing risks for
ooding and climate
change
However, planning for ood resilience
and adaptation to climate change
is always tailored to suit ecological,
social and political circumstances.
For example, in the Netherlands
the Ministry of Infrastructure and
the Environment (2017) provides
guidance to reduce risk within the built
environment. This guidance includes
proposals for making the spatial
design of the Netherlands more ‘water
robust’ and ‘climate adaptive’.
To assess the risks to critical
infrastructure and assets in the built
environment, spatial adaptation
guidelines were issued for stress
testing ood and climate resilience.
The guidelines also assist in
planning measures to adapt living
environments to more extreme
climatic conditions. In addition, they
provide an approach to collecting
knowledge and information about
sites at risk of ooding, drought and
heat stress, and potential adaptation
measures to reduce it.
Based on the guidelines, an approach
for stress testing risks for ooding
Planning for resilient ports
and airports
Nanco Dolman, Royal HaskoningDHV, assesses critical infrastructure interdependencies and its
cascade effects to help ports and airports plan for ood resilience and adapt to climate change
Introduction
Ports and airports play an important
role in economic growth and are
essential hubs for connectivity and
trade. Many major ports and airports
are situated in densely-populated
urban areas, next to rivers, in deltas
and alongside coasts. For example
the sea ports of Europoort in the
Rhine–Meuse estuary, Felixstowe in
the English Midlands, Valparaiso in
Chile and the international airpor ts
of Amsterdam Schiphol below
sea level, London Heathrow in the
Thames estuary, Singapore Changi in
the South China Sea. Most of these
urban areas are vulnerable to water
extremes that are increased by the
effects of climate change.
Cities around the world have been
developing measures relating
to water crises, climate change
and urbanisation, but there has
been insufcient progress with
implementation. Major airports, as well
as ports and large industrial areas, play
an important role in the implementation
of climate adaptation and mitigation
measures in urbanised delta areas.
Because of their roles in economic
development of countries and their
potential to take a lead, airports are
in a position to be ambassadors in
making areas more resilient.
Case study of the
Netherlands
Large parts of the Netherlands
are below sea level, so it is the
most vulnerable country in Europe
in terms of the risk of a natural
disaster, according to the most
recent World Risk Report (United
Nations, 2016). The assessment
of critical infrastructure and its
impacts on dependant third party
assets in nearby built-up areas is
illustrated by the case study of the
Port of Amsterdam (Westpoort)
and Amsterdam Airpor t Schiphol.
These major ports are the engines
of national economic growth and
are considered both critical and
vulnerable infrastructure. The ports
are also low-lying, being close to,
or even below, sea level (Figure 1),
facing water challenges and rising
ood risk on a daily basis.
Water sensitive
ports and airports –
framework
It is not just about protecting
infrastructure from ooding. It is also
about enabling ports and airports
to become more sustainable and
improve local climate and energy
management – something that por ts
and airports need to embrace if they
are to survive.
Inspired by the three pillars of the
‘water sensitive cities’ framework
(Brown et al, 2008) as well as the
Dutch ‘multi-layer safety’ approach
and the ‘living with water’ principles
(Ministry of Infrastructure and the
Environment, 2017), a water sensitive
sea and airports framework has
been developed. This framework was
initially developed for Water Vision
Schiphol 2030 (Royal HaskoningDHV,
2015), but is also applicable for both
airports and ports around the world.
In 2014 this framework was included
in the United Nations Framework
Convention on Climate Change
(UNFCCC) private sector initiative – a
database of actions on adaptation
(see Websites). The framework is
built upon ve key dimensions or
ambitions (Figure 2) to illustrate the
relation between water management
and planning, which includes ood
resilience (while taking into account
climate scenarios), implementing
Water Sensitive Urban Design (WSUD)
measures and conducting spatial and
economic development.

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Figu re 2 The water sensitive sea and airpor t framework inspired by the three water sensitive cities pillar s (from Royal HaskoningDHV, 2015)
Figure 3 Approach for stress testing risks for ooding and climate change (from NACO
and Royal HaskoningDHV, 2017)
Figure 1 Cros s-section of Port of Amsterdam, Westpoort, close to sea level providing aviation fuel to Schiphol Airpor t below sea level
(MUST, 2013)
and climate change at ports and
airports was adopted in Singapore
(see Figure 3).
Cascade effects of
critical infrastructure
and impacts on third
party assets
In order to determine the
consequences of interdependencies
on infrastructure and cascade effects
within the Amsterdam metropolitan
region, a combination of analysis
tools were used, including geographic
mapping of vulnerable locations and
networks (see Figure 4) as well as
using a BowTie and ‘circular’ diagram.
Both a BowTie and ‘circular’ diagram
provide visual explanation of a risk
that may be difcult to explain,
similar cascade effects of critical
infrastructure and impacts on third
party assets. The BowTie diagram

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Figure 4 Cascade effects of es sential infrastructure in Amsterdam, the Netherlands
(from MUST, 2013)
Figure 5 BowTie diagram – cascade effects of ood risk and impacts on third parties
(from Royal HaskoningDHV, 2017)
highlights the risk of ooding
and climate change in an easy to
understand way (see Figure 5).
The diagram, which is shaped like
a BowTie, focuses on a hazardous
event, creating a clear differentiation
between proactive (limit risk)
and reactive (limit impact) risk
management. It delivers an overview
of multiple plausible scenarios in a
single image.
The ‘circular’ diagram (see Figure 6)
shows the cascade effects of critical
infrastructure by recognising its
relations and consequences for the
operating city and its region. A similar
diagram was developed as part of
the European INTACT programme
(see Websites), which was launched
in May 2014. By the end of 2017 it
will formulate concrete responses to
the complex challenge of maintaining
the weather-robustness of vital
infrastructure.
Pathways for resilient
ports and airports
For both Westpoort Amsterdam
and Schiphol Airport a climate
stress test was carried out at a
conceptual level, assessing critical
infrastructure interdependencies
and determining the consequences
of the cascade effects within the
Amsterdam metropolitan region. In
addition to infrastructure measures
that limit risk in the ood protection
layer, adaptation measures are
also proposed that provide spatial
opportunities in the adaptive layout of
the area as well as the development
of a comprehensive disaster recovery
plan. Once measures to protect
infrastructure from ooding have
been established, it is envisaged
that ports and airports will be
able to maximise the potential for
sustainability and innovation in
both water management and ood
resilience, as well as improve
planning and governance.
Figure 6 Cascade effects – relations and consequences for the city and its region (from
MUST, 2013)

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References
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Websites
United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change (UNFCCC): Adaptation private sector initiative (PSI):
http://unfccc.int/adaptation/workstreams/nairobi_work_programme/items/4623.php
Impact of Extreme Weather on Critical Infrastructure (INTACT): www.intact-project.eu