〜Another Science for Thinking Together About “Societies Living on Water〜

Session 4: Engagement with Civil Society and the Blue Revolution Foundation

The ongoing international research project “Floating Future” in the Netherlands goes beyond developing floating structures and modular technology, delving into the human and societal dimensions of “how people live on water and how society embraces it.”

The non-profit foundation Blue Revolution Foundation (BRF) brings this perspective to the project. As a co-initiator of Floating Future, BRF serves as a “social engine” connecting government, businesses, universities, and citizens.

This paper will examine in detail the objectives, activities, and engagement with civil society of the BRF, while considering what is truly necessary to realize a society that lives with the ocean.

◾️About the Blue Revolution Foundation

BRF is a citizen-initiated non-profit foundation based in Delft, the Netherlands, dedicated to the sustainable use of water spaces as new living environments for humanity. Rutger de Graaf-van Dinther, one of the founders and a director, is a researcher and entrepreneur who has spent over 20 years studying institutional design and social acceptance of floating cities. He is also a central figure in initiatives like “Blue21” and “Floating Future.”

BRF's vision is clear.

“Living with water, not against it.”

This philosophy resonates with the very history of the Netherlands. As a nation inhabiting land below sea level, it has not only fought back against water but redefined it as a “space for coexistence” and a “foundation for life.” BRF seeks to extend this thinking across all domains: research, education, policy,and civic engagement.

◾️Role at Floating Future

In the Floating Future project, BRF serves as co-leader in the areas of social acceptance and governance.

While technical research is being advanced by MARIN and TU Delft, BRF will assume the following roles:

・ Reflect diverse societal voices (citizens, educational institutions, businesses, local governments) in the research process.

・Promote dialogue between policymakers and citizens to share institutional challenges.

・Communicate research findings in a manner accessible to the general public.

・Raise awareness among younger generations through education and workshops.

In this way, BRF supports the entire project as a bridge connecting society and research.

◾️The concept of co-creation

The defining feature of BRF is that it positions citizens not as “research subjects” but as “research participants.” They call this co-creation.

In the early stages of Floating Future, citizens, students, and business representatives from across the Netherlands gathered for workshops centered on the theme of “future floating cities.”

・Participants build small floating module models and discuss their placement and shape.

・They consider how to combine energy use, transportation, public spaces, and greening.

・They gather diverse opinions from children to experts, visualizing “What kind of floating city would I want to live in?”

This workshop is not merely an event, but also an experiment to build the foundation for social acceptance. BRF is developing the data obtained here into sociological and psychological research, reflecting it as part of Floating Future's PhD research themes.

◾️Education and Awareness Activities

BRF also places strong emphasis on educational activities.

In collaboration with high school and university courses, we offer programs where students tackle the　challenge of “designing a floating city.” By testing their scale models in MARIN's wave pool, we connect theory with hands-on experience.

Additionally, online educational content and public lectures (such as Climate Café and Floating Future Webinar) are offered, providing opportunities to comprehensively learn about climate change, energy, and urban regeneration. Through these activities, we are fostering a culture where the younger generation considers a future of “living on the sea” as something that directly concerns them.

◾️Bridge to Policy and Legal Systems

Another major pillar of BRF is policy and legal system advocacy.

We are working closely with the Dutch Ministry of Infrastructure and Water Management and various municipalities to conduct ongoing studies on the legal status of floating structures, safety standards, environmental regulations, and related matters.

In this field, the following practical challenges exist.

・How to define land use rights and ownership on water.

・How to align building permits and safety standards with land-based construction.

・How to connect public infrastructure (water supply, electricity, transportation).

・How to design liability and insurance systems for disasters and accidents.

BRF functions as a mediator, facilitating discussions on these challenges from both the “policy side” and the “citizen side” to promote consensus-building. The existence of such intermediary organizations is essential for actually incorporating floating cities into urban policy.

◾️Public Information Disclosure and Transparency

BRF places great importance on making the research process widely accessible to the general public. On its official website (bluerevolution.org), it shares progress reports on Floating Future, workshop records, and updates on educational events in a newsletter format. Citizens can also submit comments and questions.

This “transparency” is crucial for fostering trust in technology and policy. When new urban forms emerge, people want to know “how they will affect us.” BRF confronts these anxieties and questions head-on, consistently upholding its stance as a practitioner of “open science.”

◾️Resonance with OCI's Philosophy

We take a deep interest in BRF's activities because its initiatives align remarkably well with OCI's philosophy.

OCI envisions a future marine infrastructure that simultaneously addresses disaster response, international exchange, and environmental restoration, guided by the principles of “Society Living with Water,” “Multi-purpose and Mobile Waterborne Hubs,” and “Project Seatopia.” Achieving this requires not only technology but also a social process to gain public understanding and support.

As BRF practices,

・Engage citizens as active participants in research,

・Collaborate with government and academia,

・Build trust through transparent information sharing.

These three approaches represent the ideal form of social participation in the “creation of a marine civilization” that OCI strives for. In particular, the “co-creation,” “education,” and “institutional development” promoted by BRF will serve as important reference models for OCI's international expansion of its “Project Seatopia” vision.

◾️Summary

The Blue Revolution Foundation serves as the core entity driving the social aspects of Floating Future, connecting citizens, government, researchers, and youth to make the “future of living on water” a reality.

The future of floating cities is supported not only by technological progress, but also by people's understanding, trust, and empathy. BRF's activities are precisely an effort to build a “bridge” between science and society.

We too envision the ocean as a new stage for civilization, conceiving a “multi-purpose maritime hub” for disaster response, environmental restoration, and international cooperation. The most important lesson we can learn from the Netherlands' approach may be that building an ocean society is less about creating technology and more about nurturing society.

Sources

※ The Blue Revolution Foundation official site　https://bluerevolution.org/