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Table of Contents
Introduction
Introduction
"The Sponge City philosophy is to distribute and retain water at its source, slow down water as it flows away from its source, clean water naturally and be adaptive to water at the sink when water accumulates – this is in stark contrast to the conventional solution of grey infrastructure, which is to centralize and accumulate water using big reservoirs, speed up the flow by pipes and channelized drains, and fight against water at the end by higher and stronger flood walls and dams.[25][32][33] The theory of Sponge City emphasizes the basic principles of 'based on nature', 'source control', 'local adaption', protecting nature, learning from nature, preserving urban ecological space as much as possible, restoring biodiversity, and creating a beautiful landscape environment. All of this can be realized by achieving natural absorption, natural infiltration, and natural purification.[25][34] These principles come from long-standing wisdom and strategies practiced across China for thousands of years, when water had to be worked with and around instead of combatted with gray infrastructure.[2][5] The infiltration effects of the natural ecological background (such as topography and landforms), the purification effect of vegetation and wetlands on water quality, and the combination of natural and artificial means allow the city to absorb and release rainwater. Urban green spaces and urban bodies of water —constructed wetlands, rain gardens, green roofs, recessed green spaces, grass ditches, and ecological parks—are the central "sponge bodies."[34][35]
There are three main facets to developing such systems: protecting the original urban ecosystem, ecological restoration, and low-impact development.
Protection focuses on the city's original ecologically sensitive areas, such as rivers, lakes, and ditches. Natural vegetation, soil, and microorganisms are used to gradually treat the aquatic environment and restore the damaged urban ecosystem.
Restoration measures include identifying ecological patches, constructing ecological corridors, strengthening the connections between the patches, forming a network, and delineating the blue and green lines to restore the aquatic ecological environment.
Mandatory measures apply to urban roads, urban green spaces, urban water systems, residential areas, and specific buildings to protect ecological patches, maintain their storage capacity, strengthen source control, and form ecological sponges of different scales.[36]
Sponge city policies have been more frequently implemented in new construction than in retrofitted developments from the past few decades of rapid urbanization." - Wikipedia: Sponge City
Other Names
Other Names
Chinese: 海绵城市
Benefits of Sponge Cities
Benefits of Sponge Cities
Better Water Quality
Better Water Quality
Run off and ambient pollutants in cities and other communities can become a big danger to local drinking water, with the pollution load increased during heavy rains. Not only does a sponge city reduce the load of water and pollutants, but the plants used help to filter out pollutants.
Flood Prevention & Reduction
Flood Prevention & Reduction
Flooding can be reduced or prevented, including flash flooding or prolonged periods of rain.
Significant Money Saved
Significant Money Saved
Drought Protection
Drought Protection
Reduced Heat Island Effect
Reduced Heat Island Effect
Increasing the amount of green infrastructure while reducing the hard surfaces including metal and concrete can massively improve urban temperatures, reducing deaths as well as energy use.
Problems of Sponge Cities
Problems of Sponge Cities
Costs
Costs
Upfront Cost of Implementation
Upfront Cost of Implementation
Maintenance Costs
Maintenance Costs
Features of Sponge Cities
Features of Sponge Cities
Many flood and drought resilience solutions can be included in a sponge city. Some of the following are frequently implemented, while others are suggestions that may be appropriate to certain cultures or climates.
Private Property Scale
Private Property Scale
These include solutions for buildings and gardens, meaning schools, hospitals, government offices, homes, and businesses could all implement these to compliment solutions at larger scales.
Blue Roof
Blue Roof
These harvest rain water for future use which could include garden care or hand washing and toilet flushing.
Green Roof
Green Roof
These use plants and growing mediums to capture rain water, and boost local biodiversity. Green roofs can also help insulate against heat waves and cold winters. Instead of adding to heat domes, they can help reduce urban temperatures.
Rain Garden
Rain Garden
These specialized flowerbeds use water-loving and drought-resistant plants to help capture, clean, and absorb rainwater. They are not sealed like ponds, which allows water to enter aquifers instead of contributing to flooding.
Rain Storage Systems
Rain Storage Systems
Sustainable Drainage Systems
Sustainable Drainage Systems
(Community Level)
These are generally designed into the local infrastructure at the community or neighborhood scale.
Watershed Scale
Watershed Scale
Riparian Areas
Riparian Areas
Wetlands
Wetlands
Existing Sponge Cities
Existing Sponge Cities
Asia
Asia
Bangladesh
Bangladesh
Dhaka
China
China
"The People's Republic of China adopted the Sponge City initiative, largely motivated by the failure of the conventional grey infrastructure of flood control and stormwater management systems, due to the persistent efforts by Chinese ecological urbanists through letters and proposals sent to high level Chinese authorities since early 2000.[8][9][10][11] Though the concept had been published and practiced since early 2000, it was the Beijing flood on July 21, 2012 which caused 79 deaths that prompted the top Chinese authorities to accept the Sponge City concept and make it a nationwide policy.[10][12][7] In 2015, China was reported to have initiated a pilot initiative in 16 districts.[13][14][15] This initiative presents an alternative to solve Asia's flood problems. China seeks to curb its flood with the initiative. The country plans for 80 percent of its urban cities to harvest and reuse 70 percent of rainwater." - Wikipedia: Sponge City
Europe
Europe
Germany
Germany
Berlin
North America
North America
USA
USA
California
Los Angeles Thanks to adaptations to increase permeability, this city collected 8.6 billion gallons of water in only 3 days (in 2024). The program is intended to reduce flooding and help protect against drought impacts.
Maps
Maps
International
International
Butterfly Conservation: Wild Spaces: Put Your Wild Space on the Map "Our interactive map shows the number and types of Wild Space near you. When you sign up in the UK, your Wild Space will also appear on the map so you can show everyone that you're taking action and encourage others to get involved too."
Europe
Europe
UK
UK
Butterfly Conservation: Wild Spaces: Put Your Wild Space on the Map "Our interactive map shows the number and types of Wild Space near you. When you sign up in the UK, your Wild Space will also appear on the map so you can show everyone that you're taking action and encourage others to get involved too."
Organizations
Organizations
Europe
Europe
UK
UK
Earthwatch Europe: Tiny Forest "brings the benefits of woodland right into the heart of our cities and urban spaces: connecting people with nature, helping to mitigate the impacts of climate change, as well as providing nature-rich habitat to support urban wildlife."
North America
North America
USA
USA
California
The Watershed Project their "mission is to inspire San Francisco Bay Area communities to understand, appreciate, and protect our local watersheds."
New York
Adopt A House "is a 501(c)3 nonprofit agency and is dedicated to help re-build our local communities by bringing valuable information, solutions and financial assistance to Long Island residents affected by Super Storm Sandy and other emergency situations. Run entirely by volunteers, Adopt A House's simple mission is to support recovery for Long Island's SouthShore by preparing and administering a comprehensive disaster aid and long term recovery program to individuals, families and the community. Adopt A House also contributes assistance to individuals in unfortunate emergency circumstances by easing financial burdens and offering help and guidance. We achieve this mission through multiple avenues including, but not limited to: educational workshops, community outreach, programs for financial assistance, community service, and acting as liaison between elected officials and registered families. We are constantly striving to improve our ability to assess housing needs, improve community services and raise funds that go directly to registered families and our programs."
Grants & Funding
Grants & Funding
North America
North America
USA
USA
The Climate Pollution Reduction Grants (CPRG) Program "provides $5 billion in grants to states, local governments, tribes, and territories to develop and implement ambitious plans for reducing greenhouse gas emissions and other harmful air pollution. Authorized under Section 60114 of the Inflation Reduction Act, this two-phase program provides $250 million for noncompetitive planning grants, and approximately $4.6 billion for competitive implementation grants."
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