Published with the support of Delft University of Technology and others, this voluminously illustrated publication addresses the critical topic of how to approach Dutch urban water systems in light of the increasing flooding caused by climate change. Though the Dutch have a long tradition of building in wet and soft soil conditions, there has been little systematic research on building-site preparation and its relation to urban development and design. In her text, Fransje Hooimeijer, an independent research and professor of urbanism at Delft University, investigates through text and images the relation between available technology and urban design, and considers how the connection with the natural landscape systems has been lost. Through an understanding of hydrological systems and appropriate methods of building-site preparation, Hooimeijer considers how to reconnect urban and natural systems essential to the survival of our low-lying cities.