Soak it up: Can sponge cities save us from flooding?
Description
As the effects of climate change trigger record-breaking rainfall and flooding, cities from Montreal to Mumbai are re-thinking how urban design can keep inhabitants safe from natural disasters. Kongjian Yu, a landscape architect based in Beijing, has a counterintuitive idea. Instead of fighting water by building more dams, sewers and pipes, he proposes we let it in, designing nature-based infrastructure that can absorb run-off. His principles have been adopted by the Chinese government and implemented in hundreds of municipalities. Could this nature-based approach help us adapt to a changing climate?
Featured in this episode:
Kongjian Yu is a Beijing-based landscape architect and founder of Peking University’s College of Architecture and Landscape. His concept of sponge cities — designing cities to absorb water — is being applied in urban areas across the globe.
Further reading:
- Landscape architect Kongjian Yu, pioneer of the “sponge city" concept, wins the 2023 Oberlander Prize
- How letting water be water can lead to better climate resilience
- Kongjian Yu has a plan for urban flooding: “Sponge cities”
- Treading water — Toronto is spending billions on flood protection, but experts say it needs to spend billions more
- Will a $1-billion flooding bill finally make the GTA take stormwater seriously?
- Toronto’s Don River floods offer urgent planning lessons for climate-challenged cities
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