ABSTRACT
A large part of the Netherlands is below sea level. Schiphol Airport is 4 m below sea level, which makes it the lowest international airport in the world. Schiphol is situated in a polder from which the surplus water is drained artificially. In the Netherlands, building dikes to create polders and managing the polders’ water level dates back to the Middle Ages. Decisions on this subject were the result of assessments of interests of all concerned: the farmers, the town dwellers and the nobility (land owners). Based on cooperation, decisions were made about, for example, the water level and its periodic fluctuations. Windmills, in due course followed by pumping stations, took and are still taking care of the water management. Parties involved compromised on when the mills were to be activated and which water level was to be maintained in the polder (see Figure 22.1). Already very early in Dutch history, a structure for this type of decision making was created by installing water boards. The first water board in the Netherlands was founded in the year 1255. The actions of those involved can be described as behavioural adaptation by individuals (e.g., the
22.1 Introduction .................................................................................................. 401 22.2 Risk and Risk Management in Road Traffic ................................................405
