Archinect - News 2024-12-04T04:03:50-05:00 https://archinect.com/news/article/150383812/npr-on-sponge-cities-kongjian-yu-and-the-future-of-flood-mitigation NPR on sponge cities, Kongjian Yu, and the future of flood mitigation Josh Niland 2023-10-10T13:46:00-04:00 >2023-10-10T13:46:23-04:00 <img src="https://archinect.gumlet.io/uploads/2b/2bac0bff73311a2cf4d980715aa8c2e2.jpg?fit=crop&auto=compress%2Cformat&enlarge=true&w=1200" border="0" /><em><p>Almost all of China's medium and large cities are now susceptible to floods. And [Kongjian] Yu says 60% of them experience flooding every year. Extreme weather from climate change is exacerbating the problem. So Yu has been evangelizing a solution he calls "sponge cities." That is, urban landscapes that are softer and purposely designed to absorb more water. Gareth Doherty, an associate professor of landscape architecture at Harvard University, says the concept is revolutionary.</p></em><br /><br /><p>The contributions of <a href="https://archinect.com/firms/cover/42182174/turenscape" target="_blank">Turenscape</a> founder Kongjian Yu to the development of the so-called &ldquo;Sponge City&rdquo; concept date to the <a href="https://www.turenscape.com/paper/detail/474.html" target="_blank">mid-90s</a>, stemming from a near-death experience in his childhood home of Jinhua. He says that by the end of the decade, roughly 80% of Chinese cities will now be adequately equipped by the measures. However, just under 10% of the country's mid- to large-sized cities had any plans to implement the concept by the start of the year, according to <a href="https://www.reuters.com/world/china/what-are-chinas-sponge-cities-why-arent-they-stopping-floods-2023-08-10/" target="_blank">Reuters</a>.</p> <p>The need for better stormwater strategies has since been proven in <a href="https://archinect.com/news/article/150380828/nyc-s-broken-flood-mitigation-strategy-comes-into-focus-at-a-critical-time" target="_blank">New York City</a> and other low-lying American metros, too, with $2.6 billion worth of funding <a href="https://archinect.com/news/article/150320527/a-look-at-the-inflation-reduction-act-s-potential-impacts-on-the-landscape-architecture-community" target="_blank">specifically included</a> in the 2021 Federal Bipartisan Infrastructure Bill to combat the problem.&nbsp;<a href="https://archinect.com/news/tag/3691/copenhagen" target="_blank">Copenhagen</a>&nbsp;is seen as a world leader in the concept after experiencing a tumultuous&nbsp;<a href="https://www.asla.org/2016awards/171784.html" target="_blank">2011 cloudburst</a>&nbsp;that led to a two-part system of expanded sewers and over 300 surface&nbsp;catchment projects.&nbsp;</p> <p>Still, Yu says the reliance on concrete and technological solutions remains a...</p>