Heavier rainfall, prolonged drought, increasing heat and rising sea levels: climate change is confronting Amsterdam with far-reaching decisions. Knowledge institutions, the municipality, and the water authority have jointly presented the Climate Adaptation Knowledge Agenda to better prepare the city. The agenda establishes a novel shared research and collaboration to support Amsterdam’s climate-resilient future.
The agenda has been developed within the Climate Adaptation Workshop Amsterdam, a partnership between the City of Amsterdam, AMS Institute, the Amsterdam University of Applied Sciences, the University of Amsterdam, Vrije Universiteit Amsterdam and the Amstel, Gooi and Vecht Water Authority. Its aim is to forge much closer links between research, policy and implementation, and to overcome the current fragmentation in climate adaptation efforts.
An essential step, since the impacts of climate change are becoming increasingly visible across the city and region. At the same time, collaboration between public authorities and knowledge institutions remains too often ad hoc, while the challenges themselves are structural and complex. The new knowledge agenda seeks to change this by clearly defining the key questions for the years ahead and aligning stakeholders around a shared direction.
The agenda focuses on eight core themes, ranging from climate risks, the built environment and infrastructure to justice, water and soil systems, governance, financing and technological innovation. In doing so, the partners underline that climate adaptation is far more than a technical issue. It also concerns public health, social inequality, governance choices, investment priorities and the question of how a growing city can remain liveable under increasing climate pressure.
| Read the Climate Adaptation Knowledge Agenda here: |
The presentation of the Climate Adaptation Knowledge Agenda on 14 April 2026. From left to right: Sjors Verhaar (Climate Adaptation Programme, City of Amsterdam), Doutje Lettinga (Chief Science Officer, City of Amsterdam), Henriëtte de Vos (Director of Water, Amstel, Gooi and Vecht Water Authority), Nout Verhoeven (Executive Director for Spatial Planning and Economy, City of Amsterdam), Eveline van Leeuwen (Scientific Director, AMS Institute) and Gerben Mol (Program Developer Climate Resilient Cities, AMS Institute).
The Climate Adaptation Workshop Amsterdam was formally established on 3 October 2025, in the presence of Deputy Mayor Melanie van der Horst (including Public Space and Green), following a call at the Amsterdam Weerproof event to strengthen structural collaboration between the city, water management bodies and knowledge institutions. With the publication of this knowledge agenda, that ambition now takes concrete shape.
In the coming period, the Workshop will focus on prioritising research questions, developing joint projects and securing funding. The guiding principle is that knowledge must not remain on the shelf, but should actively inform policy, implementation and tangible interventions across the city.
The presentation of the Climate Adaptation Knowledge Agenda on 14 April 2026. From left to right: Henriëtte de Vos (Director of Water, Amstel, Gooi and Vecht Water Authority) and Nout Verhoeven (Executive Director for Spatial Planning and Economy, City of Amsterdam).