For a rewilding design competition organized by ARK Rewilding Nederland and Natuurlink, we worked for weeks with energy and passion with an interdisciplinary team of OAK consultants, MTD landschapsarchitecten and local nature-recreation entrepreneurs. The challenge was: create a development plan for loamy-forest nature for a 7-hectare agricultural plot along the diked Dommel stream.
The field visit on a chilly morning, walking across the ‘grassphalt’, was rather dismal, I can tell you. After that we had to pull out all the registers and maps to understand and do justice to the development history of the area. It's an area with a rich and long history from the Linie 1629 onward that crosses the Dommel nearby the competition plot. But what does nature actually want here? An enjoyable workshop provided us with a wealth of knowledge, drawing on everyone’s expertise. And with local entrepreneurs on the team, the area came much more to life. Our submission, ‘The Dream of the Dommel Delta’, integrates design with a storyline and within our knowledge of the cultural history, the landscape, water management, ecology and recreation. We felt it was necessary to take a broader perspective, because with just 7 hectares, a stream valley landscape can't breathe or flow.
A Dommel that can once again meander in its own marshy delta! And old meanders find their old coherence with reinforced castles and farms. Dikes are being moved aside to make way for rehabilitated stream valley nature with semi-wooded floodplains. This requires several steps and may take 10-15 years, but capturing and retaining water in wet marshlands is becoming increasingly necessary during droughts and wet seasons. Wet marshland, in the lowest parts of the loam forest, is in charge here, regulated by large grazers and flood dynamics. Nature recreation is promoted, people exploring the wild marsh and the water, with a reference to the historical fortification of the city of 's-Hertogenbosch. The city's nickname, the 'Swamp Dragon', refers to the wet, marshy areas in the surrounding river valleys, which were cleverly used in the defense line, making the city almost impregnable.
Our design came out 2nd out of 11 submissions. Our plan turned out to be a bit too ambitious, which is a great compliment. But perhaps we were a bit too bold. Oh well, we're still incredibly proud of the design ! Thanks team !
