Hans van Zijst and Tom den Boer were commissioned by the Water Authority of Hollands Noorderkwartier to provide a second opinion in 2017 on the participation process surrounding the dyke improvement in Durgerdam (part of the Markermeerdijk on Amsterdam territory).
A large part of the Markermeer dikes had been found of insufficent quality and measures were needed to bring flood protection back to standard level, also in the picturesque Durgerdam. We advised to redo the participation process in Durgerdam. The executive board of the Water Authority has adopted this recommendation.
Based on discussions with residents and other stakeholders, we wrote a participation plan. The plan was adopted by the authorities involved. Subsequently, a new participation process was started, under the leadership of Tom den Boer, to arrive at an integrated program for flood risk management, public space and other tasks in Durgerdam. This program was accepted at the end of 2018 and is now being implemented.