Area biography of the NOVEX area in the province of Zwolle

As a NOVEX region, the province of Zwolle plays a crucial role in achieving the national targets for climate resilience and growth. Last year the province introduced its own urbanisation strategy, in which smart mobility and climate adaptivity play an essential role. The area biography helps in the making of choices to transform that strategy into action. For instance, the ambition of climate adaptive urbanisation means that soil and water are (more) determinant. The biography offers specific tips for this.

The area biography is not the goal, but the start of a discussion of the future of the province. Divided into four temporal windows, the biography offers insight into geographical developments down to the early Middle Ages and the subsequent formation of the landscape. It provides much more than just information about the origin of the landscape. On the basis of developmental principles, the biography shows how geographical and cultural historical values can be deployed in new developments. The interesting point is that it is precisely the way in which the landscape has been formed that can guide us through the challenges facing us, such as climate change and growth. A map/chart with 50 opportunities for development inspires future projects.

The book about the landscape may have been made with policymakers in mind, but it is also accessible for many others. The narratives about the origin of the landscape through the centuries are told thematically. Thus the emergence of tourism had consequences for the development of the recreational landscape and there is a relation between landscape and regional specialisations such as limestone calcination, the paper industry, rush cultivation, the brick industry and the pavers culture. In short: interesting thematic points of entry that tell all kinds of things about the history and development of the province and its landscape.