sponge city
Top Story
Los Angeles adapts to heavy storms by becoming a 'sponge city'
A supercharged February storm brought record rainfall to Los Angeles, testing and validating new infrastructure designed to absorb water and prevent catastrophic flooding.
In short:
- Los Angeles received up to 10 inches of rain in one day, overwhelming typical city infrastructure.
- The city captured over 8 billion gallons of stormwater, thanks to retrofitting efforts aimed at making the landscape more absorbent.
- These measures help reduce flood risks and keep pollutants out of the ocean by absorbing water into the ground.
Why this matters:
As climate change intensifies storms, cities must adapt by integrating green infrastructure to manage water more effectively and mitigate flood risks.
Read more:
Keep reading...Show less
NZ cities urgently need to become 'spongier' – but system change will be expensive
Flood and cyclone damage shows why turning Auckland and other urban parts of New Zealand into ‘sponge cities’ is the right idea. But overseas experience from China and beyond shows it won’t be cheap.
China is building 30 "sponge cities" to soften the blow of climate change
The country has already invested $12 billion in infrastructure that alleviates flooding.
ORIGINAL REPORTING
MOST POPULAR
CLIMATE