CPG：Chinese technology ignores modern concrete, revives ancestral wisdom about water, creates sponge cities that mitigate floods, clean rivers, cool metropolises, cost less, and are already transforming dozens of cities worldwide after decades of growing global climate extreme urban skepticism.
This article highlights how a Chinese approach to urban design—rejecting rigid concrete infrastructure in favor of ecological, water-centric planning—has led to the global spread of sponge cities. Drawing on ancestral water wisdom from rural traditions, this paradigm uses permeable surfaces, wetlands, rain gardens, and natural drainage to absorb, filter, and reuse stormwater, effectively reducing floods, cleaning rivers, mitigating urban heat, and lowering costs compared to conventional gray infrastructure. Pioneered by landscape architect Kongjian Yu, sponge cities have overcome decades of technical and political skepticism in China and now form a central part of national and international climate adaptation debates. Early implementation results show significant reductions in peak runoff, enhanced water purification, expanded green space, and improved urban resilience, positioning sponge cities as a promising model for future climate-adaptive urban development.
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