Water, heritage, city: urbanized deltas on the line between nature and culture

Deltas are unique dynamic environments, extremely rich in natural resources and cultural heritage, but also vulnerable to extreme events and environmental degradation. They are areas of complex transition between land and water, where the water lines take many different shapes: coasts and waterfronts, rivers, irrigation or drainage canals, and more. From an overview of the main issues identified for each type of water line in the context of spatial planning and design, a plurality of values, demands, and materials emerges, that flow into the project in an often-conflictual way. A recurring conflict is that between anthropocentric and ecocentric attitudes towards nature, which could be overcome through the introduction of an integrated and nonconflictual “environmental” approach. A case study from the Netherlands illustrates a paradigm shift in this sense, within the sectors of water management and heritage preservation. It also provides the basis to discuss the possible active roles heritage can play in the search for a new synergy between natural and human actions.