Sponge city

Beijing-based landscape architect Kongjian Yu, recipient of the 2023 Oberlander Prize, revolutionizes urban flooding prevention with 'sponge cities' concept.

In California, and around the world, climate change is making extreme rain more likely. Here's how some cities are adapting.

What are sponge cities and why are they the future of urban design?

A study released by the Carbon Disclosure Project this month finds that 103 cities around the world have a serious risk of flooding. Most of the problem can be traced directly to the increased use of concrete and asphalt since the beginning of the automotive age. Land that used to absorb water is now covered with impervious coatings which cause rain and flood waters to accumulate rather than percolating into the soil below.

Failing to meet our goals condemns ourselves and our descendants to a world of ever increasing climate chaos.

The pilot project by dlandstudio, recently completed along the Gowanus Canal in New York City, will absorb polluted water like a sponge.

Two recent articles in the American media — one from The New York Times and another from The Christian Science Monitor — raised questions about the efficacy of China’s sponge city…

Combining creativity, curiosity and applied research, E2Designlab is a passionate group of specialists in engineering, urban design and ecology working together to enable the creation of thriving and sustainable places through integrated management of water.

“Flooding has become a deadly problem in China, especially in major cities. As this Economist article notes, the country’s urban land has more than doubled in the last 20 years, and cities sometimes expand right into the floodplains," wrote Janice Kaspersen. "Sponge cities are an approach to what we commonly call green infrastructure—an attempt to reduce flooding and infiltrate stormwater runoff in some of the areas most affected by rapid urbanization."

Transforming a 90-year-old runway into a green oasis for residents and office workers. Learn more about its key design feature—the rain gardens.