Shenzhen Design Week

The Dutch have built up a formidable legacy throughout centuries of living with water – water has determined the life of the Dutch people. The Netherlands is a coastal country in the North-West European Rhine-Meuse river delta with a temperate maritime climate and frequent rainfall. Over time, the people here have learned to deal with and benefit from these wet conditions, which every Dutch citizen realizes as a child when they are told to learn how to swim quickly to prepare for the ever-present risk of inundation. Alongside this discourse of “risk”, there is another equally important discourse of “opportunity” associated with being surrounded by water. These opportunities arise from shipping trade, of course, but also from engineering ingenious defense structures and enhancing quality of life by innovating new strategies for comprehensive landscaping. The nationwide recognition of these risks and opportunities to respond to them reveals a third benefit from the watery conditions: the genesis and advancement of a unique art of territorial management that relies heavily on the structuring power of water governance.

The country’s greatest historians show that the Dutch relationship with water has actually been the core substance of nation building, by cementing a culture of mutual understanding, respect, and collaboration. Social psychologists have also observed that water even influenced the collective state of mind in the Netherlands, where people tend to appreciate the quality of light reflected in water, are inclined to sobriety, and share at once a sense of urgency and of beauty. It is no wonder then that water has inspired the greatest of Dutch artists, names as canonical as Van Goyen, Ruysdael, Vermeer and Mondriaan. For the Dutch, water is so much more than an object of engineering – it is a human condition; it is an inspiration. It is, ultimately, a medium for the country’s unique design.

Shenzhen faces three main challenges related to water: a shortage of local water resources, effects from frequent typhoons and heavy rains, and serious river pollution. The question is: how can design address and inspire solutions to these and other water challenges in Shenzhen?The Netherlands is a country formed by, with, and in spite of water. The nation has more than a 1000-year history of successful water governance and management practices. The Dutch guest country pavillion will assist Shenzhen in reaching its goal to create a beautiful Chinese model of harmonious co-existence of man and nature. Consultation with Dutch experts will help Shenzhen to effectively prepare a climate resilient strategy for continuing urban development.

All SZDW events will now be hosted online due to the unexpected pandemic, but opportunities for engagement and interaction between speakers and the public will remain intact. Input from Dutch and Chinese experts will be featured through interactive webinars and lectures. Attendees will have the chance to experience innovative ways in which design can be used to solve complex problems.