The perspectives method : towards socially robust river management

River management is the work of human hands and can be shaped in different ways. What we currently find the best way depends among others on our perspective. This perspective, however, can change and consequently change our ideas about good River management and public support for solution orientations. So, the question is: how can we better deal with social changes in perspective? And is there a strategy that will maintain public support with all future perspectives? How do we define such a strategy? Offermans concludes among others that the current water policy has a too one-sided focus on control and regulation, which primarily fits in with the so-called ‘Hierarchic perspective’. That can have negative consequences for the public support of the policy, for example in the case of people with a ‘Fatalistic perspective’, who are more focused on the pleasure function of water and rivers. To also keep friendly with ‘Egalitarians’ and ‘Individualists’, a more natural design and a bit of innovation can be important ingredients for sustainable long-term water management.