Urban Exchange Podcast Episode 13 – Robert van Asten, The Hague – Creating a water vision

Urban Exchange: Cities on the Frontlines

In this episode of the Urban Exchange, host Paul Wilson, Chief Business Officer for Connected Places Catapult and Chair of the SmartCitiesWorld Advisory Board, is joined by Robert van Asten, Deputy Mayor and Alderman for Urban Development, Strategy and Europe for The Hague.

On the agenda this month is The Hague's work on water resilience, its international significance as the peace and justice capital of the world, and the city's work on advancing the urban resilience practice.

Throughout, Paul delves into the role the Deputy Mayor’s leadership has played throughout this work, finding the key takeaways he has identified along the way, and how these could represent opportunities that other cities can learn from.

It is a fascinating time to have the conversation, following the UN’s Water Conference earlier in 2023 – the first UN conference exclusively about water. Reflecting on the conference, we discover the commitments The Hague has made to the Water Action Agenda, and the key takeaways from the conference that put water front and centre.

The Deputy Mayor has been a big advocate of The Hague’s water resilience approach since taking responsibility for urban development and strategy, and here we discover the nature-based work that the city has been doing around water storage in the city. We also delve into water management as a facet of the city’s wider climate action work, and how the city is getting buy in from key allies and keeping them engaged.

Sharing these insights, conversation turns to the importance of knowledge sharing and being a part of something bigger than yourself. Here, the Deputy Mayor talks about The Hague’s role as the city of peace and justice and the impact that reputation has on the city’s administration in how it carries out its work. There’s also talk of the importance of being part of wider collaborative networks, like the Resilient Cities Network.