What can a ‘sponge’ teach us about building resilient cities? Turns out, a lot
Global News
Cities are typically engineered to repel rainwater into drains and pipes. But building them like ‘sponges’ to absorb water can better help against flooding.
In Abbotsford, B.C., efforts to prevent more flooding are happening non-stop — ahead of the next major storm on Tuesday.
Members of the Canadian Forces, alongside residents, are building dikes, drainage channels, and sandbagging with force. Over the weekend, B.C. got several more millimetres of rain, with more on the way.
The catastrophe in B.C. is accelerating a rethink in the way cities are planned and designed — with planners and engineers turning to nature for answers.
Typically, cities are designed to repel water: Rain falls on hard surfaces like concrete and asphalt, and gets channelled into drains and sewers. When that rain falls too fast, those drains become overloaded, inundating communities.
Instead, planners need to be thinking about how to absorb water. Enter the ‘sponge city.’
Concrete. Steel. Brick. These are the materials usually associated with strength in urban construction. But a sponge?
Turns out, a ‘sponge city’ can be incredibly resilient as well.