{"id":4406025,"date":"2025-07-21T09:44:09","date_gmt":"2025-07-21T09:44:09","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/retouch-nexus.eu\/?p=4406025"},"modified":"2025-10-23T13:05:45","modified_gmt":"2025-10-23T13:05:45","slug":"%f0%9f%a4%9d-building-a-participatory-path-for-water-governance-in-north-holland","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/retouch-nexus.eu\/sk\/2025\/07\/21\/%f0%9f%a4%9d-building-a-participatory-path-for-water-governance-in-north-holland\/","title":{"rendered":"\ud83e\udd1d Building a Participatory Path for Water Governance in North Holland"},"content":{"rendered":"

[et_pb_section fb_built=”1″ _builder_version=”4.27.4″ _module_preset=”default” custom_padding=”0rem||0rem||false|false” global_colors_info=”{}”][et_pb_row _builder_version=”4.27.4″ _module_preset=”default” width=”100%” max_width=”2560px” module_alignment=”center” min_height=”391.7px” custom_padding=”|0px||||” global_colors_info=”{}”][et_pb_column type=”4_4″ _builder_version=”4.27.4″ _module_preset=”default” global_colors_info=”{}”][et_pb_text _builder_version=”4.27.4″ _module_preset=”default” global_colors_info=”{}”]<\/p>\n

RETOUCH NEXUS supports stakeholder engagement for the Freshwater Availability Program.<\/span><\/span><\/strong><\/p>\n

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In response to the growing threat of water scarcity in North Holland, the Dutch water authority <\/span><\/span>Hoogheemraadschap<\/span> Hollands <\/span>Noorderkwartier<\/span> (HHNK)<\/span><\/span><\/strong><\/a> is developing a <\/span><\/span>Freshwater Availability Program<\/span><\/span><\/strong> to <\/span>aid <\/span>regional water resilience. <\/span>Recognising<\/span> that \u201c<\/span><\/span>we cannot do this by ourselves<\/span><\/span>,\u201d HHNK <\/span>aims at<\/span> embedding a participatory dimension in this <\/span>programme<\/span>.<\/span><\/span><\/p>\n

To support this participatory track, the <\/span><\/span>RETOUCH NEXUS Dutch case study<\/span><\/span><\/strong>, led by <\/span><\/span>Clara <\/span>Luxardo<\/span><\/span><\/strong> from <\/span><\/span>Vrije Universiteit Amsterdam (VUA)<\/span><\/span><\/strong><\/a>, is <\/span>facilitating<\/span> a series of workshops designed to equip the HHNK team with the tools, insights, and frameworks needed to design and implement <\/span>meaningful <\/span>stakeholder engagement<\/span>.<\/span><\/span><\/span><\/p>\n

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A <\/span>Three<\/span>-Part Workshop <\/span>Series<\/span> on Participation<\/span><\/span><\/h3>\n

The series consisted of <\/span><\/span>three tailored workshops<\/span><\/span><\/strong>, each building on the last, to create the foundations of a participatory plan that will inform the Freshwater Availability Program in both the short and long term.<\/span><\/span>\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

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W<\/span>orkshop 1 \u2013 <\/span>Understanding<\/span> Participation and <\/span>its<\/span> <\/span>Pitfalls<\/span><\/h4>\n

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The first workshop took place on April 7, 2025 and introduced participants to the <\/span>complexities of participatory processes in water governance<\/span><\/b>. Far from treating participation as a \u201csilver bullet,\u201d the session encouraged the team to reflect critically on:<\/span>\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

    \n
  • Why participation is valuable, and when it can fall short<\/span>\u00a0<\/span><\/li>\n
  • How <\/span>power dynamics<\/span><\/b>, <\/span>conflicting motivations<\/span><\/b>, and <\/span>contextual sensitivity<\/span><\/b> influence outcomes<\/span>\u00a0<\/span><\/li>\n
  • What makes public participation effective or ineffective<\/span>\u00a0<\/span><\/li>\n
  • How internal motivations within the team shape external engagement strategies<\/span><\/li>\n<\/ul>\n
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          Workshop 2 \u2013 Stakeholder Analysis in Practice<\/span><\/span><\/h4>\n

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          Originally designed as a single session but split into two due to the depth of the task, this workshop took place on May 19 and June 16, 2025 and focused on<\/span> identifying and analysing the stakeholders<\/span><\/b>.<\/span>\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

          Together, the participants:<\/span>\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

            \n
          • Mapped out stakeholders connected to freshwater management in North Holland<\/span>\u00a0<\/span><\/li>\n
          • Created an <\/span>influence\u2013interest matrix<\/span><\/b> to visualise stakeholder <\/span>\u00a0<\/span><\/li>\n
          • Identified potential <\/span>conflicts, synergies, and knowledge gaps<\/span><\/b>\u00a0<\/span><\/li>\n
          • Drafted a <\/span>characterisation table<\/span><\/b> to describe key actors and understand their perspectives<\/span> <\/span><\/li>\n<\/ul>\n

            This structured analysis will serve as the backbone of the participation plan and ensure that the programme is inclusive, transparent, and tailored to the regional context.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

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            Workshop 3 \u2013 Designing the Participation Trajectory<\/span><\/span><\/h4>\n

            [\/et_pb_text][\/et_pb_column][\/et_pb_row][et_pb_row _builder_version=”4.27.4″ _module_preset=”default” width=”100%” min_height=”304.6px” custom_margin=”|auto|-48px|auto||” global_colors_info=”{}”][et_pb_column type=”4_4″ _builder_version=”4.27.4″ _module_preset=”default” global_colors_info=”{}”][et_pb_text _builder_version=”4.27.4″ _module_preset=”default” min_height=”226px” global_colors_info=”{}”]<\/p>\n

            In the final session that took place on June 30, 2025, the HHNK team revisited previous discussions and shifted focus to <\/span>defining how participation will take place in practice<\/span><\/b>:<\/span>\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

              \n
            • Which stakeholders should be engaged on a preliminary level<\/span>\u00a0<\/span><\/li>\n
            • Why and when participation is needed<\/span>\u00a0<\/span><\/li>\n
            • What <\/span>level of participation<\/span><\/b> (inform, consult, collaborate, co-decide) fits the themes of the programme<\/span> <\/span><\/li>\n<\/ul>\n

              Though the group ran out of time before completing all activities (with some homework assigned), this final step helped shape the early contours of a participation strategy<\/span><\/b> aligning with programme priorities.<\/span>\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

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              \ud83c\udf6a Cookies and Collaboration<\/span><\/span><\/h3>\n

              Beyond the outputs, the workshops fostered a culture of open dialogue, reflection, and collective learning<\/span>,<\/span> always accompanied by a good supply of cookies! Feedback from HHNK was <\/span>very positive<\/span>, with team members <\/span>co-creating and taking <\/span>the space to explore complex dynamics and strengthen their engagement approach.<\/span><\/span>\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

                <\/ul>\n
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                  [\/et_pb_text][\/et_pb_column][\/et_pb_row][\/et_pb_section][et_pb_section fb_built=”1″ _builder_version=”4.27.4″ _module_preset=”default” box_shadow_style=”preset1″ global_colors_info=”{}”][et_pb_row _builder_version=”4.27.4″ _module_preset=”default” global_colors_info=”{}”][et_pb_column type=”4_4″ _builder_version=”4.27.4″ _module_preset=”default” global_colors_info=”{}”][et_pb_text _builder_version=”4.27.4″ _module_preset=”default” module_alignment=”center” global_colors_info=”{}”]<\/p>\n

                  \ud83d\udccd <\/span>What\u2019s<\/span> <\/span>next<\/span>?<\/span><\/h3>\n

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                  This co-creative journey<\/span> has laid the foundation for an informed participation track within the Freshwater Availability Program<\/span>, which requires further establishment<\/span>. RETOUCH NEXUS will continue supporting HHNK and regional stakeholders as t<\/span>he <\/span>progra<\/span>mme<\/span> evolves.<\/span><\/span><\/p>\n

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                  RETOUCH NEXUS supports stakeholder engagement for the Freshwater Availability Program.In response to the growing threat of water scarcity in North Holland, the Dutch water authority Hoogheemraadschap Hollands Noorderkwartier (HHNK) is developing a Freshwater Availability Program to aid regional water resilience. Recognising that \u201cwe cannot do this by ourselves,\u201d HHNK aims at embedding a participatory dimension […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":4,"featured_media":4406026,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_acf_changed":false,"_et_pb_use_builder":"on","_et_pb_old_content":"","_et_gb_content_width":"","_uf_show_specific_survey":0,"_uf_disable_surveys":false,"footnotes":""},"categories":[65,73,21],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-4406025","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-case-study-activity","category-dutch-cs","category-events"],"acf":[],"aioseo_notices":[],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/retouch-nexus.eu\/sk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/4406025","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/retouch-nexus.eu\/sk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/retouch-nexus.eu\/sk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/retouch-nexus.eu\/sk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/4"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/retouch-nexus.eu\/sk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=4406025"}],"version-history":[{"count":5,"href":"https:\/\/retouch-nexus.eu\/sk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/4406025\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":4406037,"href":"https:\/\/retouch-nexus.eu\/sk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/4406025\/revisions\/4406037"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/retouch-nexus.eu\/sk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/4406026"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/retouch-nexus.eu\/sk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=4406025"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/retouch-nexus.eu\/sk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=4406025"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/retouch-nexus.eu\/sk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=4406025"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}