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Arash Bakhtiari

Arash

Coasts & Estuaries Product Manager

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A vision for the Flemish Coast

The Flemish Government has approved the Master Plan for Coastal Safety in 2011, a study IMDC has collaborated on. This plan sets out a series of measures that are necessary to guarantee coastal safety until 2050. The implementation of the measures has started the same year. The complex project “Kustvisie” (vision for the coast) is looking further in the future up to 2100, and aims to prepare Flanders to deal with the consequences of climate change at the Flemish coast.

The purpose of the vision for the coast is to explore various measures and alternatives to protect the Flemish coast in 2100 against the consequences of higher sea levels and higher and more powerful waves. Coping with the uncertainties on climate change effects, two scenarios have been considered: a moderate and an extreme climate scenario. IMDC is responsible for providing technical expertise regarding the exploration, the analysis and the design of the measures, and how the most effective measures can be combined into optimized alternatives.

In this project IMDC is in charge of the design of coastal protection measures, of coastal zone management, and of climate change assessment and mitigation. IMDC provides expertise with regard to:

  • Coastal processes and physical characteristics of the coastal system 
  • The effects of climate change on coastal safety 
  • The evaluation and design of coastal protection and flood measures along the coast and in the ports including nature-based solutions
  • The design of alternatives for the future coastal protection of the Flemish coast 
  • The assessment of the flood risk now and in the future, including for example the contribution of dune vegetation to overtopping 
  • The implementation aspects of the measures: construction and dredging techniques 
  • The structural requirements for a multifunctional use of the coastal zone. 

In addition, we work together with the project partners on the environmental impact assessment (EIA) studies, the multi-criteria assessment (MCA), the social cost benefit analysis (SCBA) and the communication, for which we provide the necessary technical input.

Data

  • Client: Maritime Access Division
  • Start date: 2017
  • Completion date: ongoing