Reinventing Multifunctionality Combining Goals, Sharing Means, Linking Interests

An embankment that serves as flood defence, road and tidal energy plant at the same time. These three goals are combined, and together share the means of the embankment. They link the interests of water safety, transport and renewable energy. This book gives dozens of comparable examples of multifunctionality from the Netherlands. This book also tries to explain the reinvention of multifunctionality that is going on in these examples. They're more than just a couple of functions on the same spot, they reinforce one another. What explains the growth of the number of authorities, companies and NGO's that work together on multifunctional projects like for instance a nature reserve that stores water, purifies water, and also serves for recreation?Turning an embankment from a hard monofunctional structure into a multifunctional combination of dike and power plant has three effects: it's still a flood defence, it's also a power plant, and nature will be restored. To have these three together it's essential to align the goals of flood defence, energy production, and nature restoration. All three condition the other two, or else there will be no combination. That's the essence of multifunctionality, and that's what this book is about. Multifunctionality is more than just having a set of functions in one place, like a shopping mall or a high rise. It's about the mutual reinforcement of goals; reinventing multifunctionality is finding out what that really is. With the help of dozens of examples this book is the attempt to do just that