{"id":243253,"date":"2024-11-06T10:00:00","date_gmt":"2024-11-06T10:00:00","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.goodeastage.it\/demo\/rural-hack\/why-we-need-sponge-cities-to-absorb-heavy-rainfall-and-reduce-collective-damage\/"},"modified":"2026-05-13T12:27:55","modified_gmt":"2026-05-13T12:27:55","slug":"why-we-need-sponge-cities-to-absorb-heavy-rainfall-and-reduce-collective-damage","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.ruralhack.org\/en\/why-we-need-sponge-cities-to-absorb-heavy-rainfall-and-reduce-collective-damage\/","title":{"rendered":"Why We Need Sponge Cities to Absorb Heavy Rainfall and Reduce Collective Damage"},"content":{"rendered":"\n

The images of recent floods in Emilia-Romagna and Tuscany have dramatically highlighted the vulnerability of our urban centers to extreme weather events. These are no longer isolated phenomena: Italian cities are increasingly facing intense rainfall that cripples entire communities, alternating with heat waves or droughts more frequent than in the past. <\/p>\n\n

\"anomalie
ISTAT Weather and Climate Data 1971\u20132022<\/a><\/figcaption><\/figure>\n\n

In 2023 alone, Bologna and the surrounding territories experienced two devastating flood events just months apart, with damages estimated in the billions of euros. As we speak, floods and damage are repeating in the capital of Emilia, while much of central Italy is under alert. The cyclical nature of these events suggests we can no longer afford to treat them as “extraordinary emergencies.” <\/p>\n\n

What Is a Sponge City?<\/strong><\/h2>\n\n

Faced with this new climatic normality, an innovative approach to urban planning is emerging: \u201csponge cities.\u201d This model, initially developed in China and now adopted in numerous global metropolises, revolutionizes the way cities manage rainwater. <\/p>\n\n

The \u201csponge city\u201d approach is not unique in addressing the increasing rainfall and flooding challenges, but rather a synthesis of various approaches developed around the world, including:<\/p>\n\n

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  • Low Impact Development (LID<\/em>)<\/li>\n\n\n\n
  • Sustainable Urban Drainage Systems (SUDS) (U.K.)<\/em><\/li>\n\n\n\n
  • Water Sensitive Urban Design (WSUD) (Australia) <\/em><\/li>\n\n\n\n
  • Active, Beautiful and Clean (ABC) (Singapore)<\/em><\/li>\n\n\n\n
  • Landscape Stormwater Management (Denmark) <\/em><\/li>\n<\/ul>\n\n

    By synthesizing and combining these approaches, the sponge city model incorporates LID, SUDS, and WSUD. In its own way, however, it also represents a return to Tian-r\u00e9n-h\u00e9-yi (\u5929\u4eba\u5408\u4e00), an ancient Chinese concept representing harmony between humans and nature\u2014at least according to Professor Kongjian Yu, the concept\u2019s creator, who returned to China after years at Harvard with a mission to revive this ancient wisdom and help his country\u2019s cities find greater harmony with nature. <\/p>\n\n

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