Vandets Veje: Kolindsund - The Water’s Ways: Kolindsund

The increasing volumes of water caused by climate change call for new strategies for managing the natural pathways of water. At the same time, the EU’s nature restoration goals require member states to increase their nature areas by 30%, which necessitates the creation of larger, more connected natural landscapes. In addition, there is an increasing demand for areas to support renewable energy production.

With this transformation as a backdrop, Dreyers Fondand the Danish Association of Architects in 2024 commissioned three interdisciplinary teams to develop visions for future landscapes with Vandets Veje (The Water’s Ways) as the central theme. One of the chosen sites is Kolindsund – a former saltwater sound that, after the Viking Age, became a shallow lake and in the 1870s was drained for farmland through a system of canals, sluices, and pumping stations.

The vision for Kolindsund is based on a gradual transformation, where the landscape evolves into a “nature sponge” alternating between wet and dry areas. This mosaic is intended to accommodate biodiversity, climate adaptation, and new forms of food and material production. The transformation is to take place in dialogue with the local community, so that citizens and landowners are not forced into a binary choice between field and lake but instead take part in a long-term transition.

A vital element is the creation of economic incentives through “nature guilds” – associations of landowners, residents, and businesses where nature is given real value. The model unites cultural history with future needs and points toward a planning approach where beauty, sustainability, and community go hand in hand.

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