China Innovates With 'Sponge' Cities to Combat Flooding

China Innovates With ‘Sponge’ Cities to Combat Flooding

Written by Bruno Teles

Published on 13/12/2023 at 15:56

Updated on 13/12/2023 at 15:57

Foto: Divulgação/China

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Although they are not a definitive solution, they offer a way to live more sustainably with the environment. China is at the forefront of this innovation, showing how the integration of nature into urban infrastructure can make a significant difference in the quality of life in cities.

Amid the challenges posed by climate change, China is adopting an innovative approach to make its cities more resilient to flooding. The concept of “sponge cities” is being implemented in various regions of the country, combining natural infrastructure with advanced engineering techniques.

What Are Sponge Cities?

Sponge cities are designed to absorb and reuse rainwater, reducing the risk of urban flooding. These cities utilize urban parks, such as the one in Nanchang, filled with native trees and volcanic rocks, to create an effective natural drainage system. The goal is to improve urban drainage and flood prevention while also creating a biologically diverse environment.

Biodiversity plays a crucial role in defending the Earth against climate change. Healthy cities, with forests and native plants, are essential for carbon dioxide absorption and supporting crop pollination. However, continuous urban expansion can lead to habitat loss and negatively impact global biodiversity.

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Implementation of Sponge Cities in China

In 2015, China launched a pilot program in 30 cities to promote the construction of sponge cities. Architects and engineers are reintegrating natural solutions, such as rain gardens and native trees, to complement the existing gray infrastructure. These solutions are inspired by ancient drainage systems that had already proven effective in stormwater management.

Despite the benefits, sponge cities face limitations; in 2021, the floods in Zhengzhou revealed that these systems have a limited capacity to absorb water. We can also say that the implementation of sponge infrastructure varies significantly from city to city due to climatic, hydrological, and socioeconomic differences.

Adaptation of Cities in the USA

In the United States, cities like Los Angeles and Boston are adapting the concept of natural infrastructure, using existing green spaces. They are experimenting with planting vegetation on sidewalks and creating green spaces in medians. According to Folha, flooding has increased in the U.S., and some incidents have even led to fatalities; in Brazil, it is no different, and we eagerly await innovations similar to those in China in our country.

China Innovates With ‘Sponge’ Cities to Combat Flooding

Although they are not a definitive solution, they offer a way to live more sustainably with the environment. China is at the forefront of this innovation, showing how the integration of nature into urban infrastructure can make a significant difference in the quality of life in cities.

What Are Sponge Cities?

Implementation of Sponge Cities in China

Adaptation of Cities in the USA

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China Innovates With ‘Sponge’ Cities to Combat Flooding

Although they are not a definitive solution, they offer a way to live more sustainably with the environment. China is at the forefront of this innovation, showing how the integration of nature into urban infrastructure can make a significant difference in the quality of life in cities.

What Are Sponge Cities?

Implementation of Sponge Cities in China

Adaptation of Cities in the USA

A giant printer called the “Ferrari” of concrete has landed in Latin America and can already build a 120-square-meter house in just 48 hours, making the traditional construction site look like something from the last century.

A British company has installed in the middle of the ocean the world’s first floating platform that generates electricity 24 hours a day from the temperature difference between the surface and the depths of the Atlantic, without relying on wind or sun.

Great Atlantic Sargassum Belt has ceased to be a climatic phenomenon and has become a biological system that feeds on itself, with 8,000 kilometers in length, 37 million tons of algae, and scientists confirm that it is now permanent.

China is building an artificial island in the middle of the sea, covering 20 km², to construct the largest offshore airport in the world, the Dalian Jinzhouwan. This $4.3 billion project is anchored on more than 3,000 pillars embedded in the rock beneath the ocean and is scheduled to open in 2035.

A robot named Walter does the work of five bricklayers per hour and can save the construction industry, where the average age of professionals is 46 years and almost no one wants to learn the trade anymore, in the United Kingdom.

Engineers had to pour concrete mixed with tons of ice throughout entire nights in the Dubai desert to erect the Burj Khalifa; any carelessness could clog the pipes half a mile high.

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