cross-posted from: https://slrpnk.net/post/8079352
Instead of putting in more drainage pipes, building flood walls and channeling rivers between concrete embankments, which is the usual approach to managing water, Mr. Yu wants to dissipate the destructive force of floodwaters by slowing them and giving them room to spread out.
Mr. Yu calls the concept “sponge city” and says it’s like “doing tai chi with water,” a reference to the Chinese martial art in which an opponent’s energy and moves are redirected, not resisted.
It sounds reasonable to me, like how cars absorb the energy of an impact, instead of trying to resist it. Is this being done anywhere else?
Yes. The title is clickbait, it’s been practiced in urban planning for a long time now
So you’re suggesting we drive all the cars into the ocean… crazy, but it just might work!
It sounds like LA has been implementing it for a bit and it’s starting to pay off
https://www.wired.com/story/los-angeles-just-proved-how-spongy-a-city-can-be/